THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

LIFE'S  SHOP  WINDOW 

SIX  WOMEN 

SELF  AND  THE  OTHER 

THE  ETERNAL  FIRES 

FIVE  NIGHTS 

THE  LIFE  SENTENCE 

ANNA  LOMBARD 
(500,000  copies) 
SIX    CHAPTERS   OF   A   MAN'S 

LIFE 

TO-MORROW? 
PAULA 

THE  WOMAN  WHO  DIDN'T 
A  GIRL  OF  THE  KLONDIKE 
THE    RELIGION    OF    EVELYN 

HASTINGS 
LIFE  OF  MY  HEART 


THE  NIGHT  OF 
TEMPTATION 


.  BY 

VICTORIA  CROSS 

Author  of 

'Life's  Shop  Window,"  "Six  Women," 
etc.,  etc. 


NEW  YORK 
THE  MACAULAY  COMPANY) 


Copyright,  191f ,  by 
VIVIAN  CORY  GRIFFEN 

Copyright,  1914,  by 
VIVIAN  CORY  GRIFFEN 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  HOME ..     .  11 

II.  IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  .....  43 

III.  THE   GIFT 77 

IV.  OUT  OF  THE  STAGNANT  HARBOUR    .      .      .124? 

V.  CLEAR   WATERS 145 

VI.  PARADISE   OR  ? 172 

VII.  WITH  THE   GREAT   RIVER 196 

VIII.  THE   LIONS   OF   THE   DESERT     ....  223 

IX.  IN   THS    DARK   WATCHES 249 

X.  THE    REACTION 285 

XI.  VAE   VICTIS 296 

XII.  DAWN   .                                                 ....  305 


2134795 


THE 

NIGHT  OF 
TEMPTATION 


CHAPTER  I 

HOME 

SHE  lay  in  a  quiet  corner  of  the  Rectory  Garden, 
looking  up  at  the  majestic  white  clouds,  that  sailed 
across  the  blue  of  the  summer  sky,  like  Viking  ships 
under  full  sail,  speeding  along  over  the  deep  blue  of 
a  limitless  ocean.  How  glorious  they  were!  How 
wonderful  to  contemplate  these  summer  nimbi,  in  their 
immaculate,  fleecy  whiteness,  in  their  shadowy  re- 
cesses, in  their  glistening  summits.  They  were  pure 
and  radiant,  even  as  the  girl's  soul  was,  and  by  their 
affinity  with  it  they  seemed  to  call  it  up  to  them,  to  lift 
it  up  away  from  the  sordid  Rectory,  with  its  harsh, 
unloving  father,  its  dejected,  stupid  mother,  its  quar- 
relling daughters ;  away  from  the  horrible  village, 
full  of  vice,  squalor  and  disease ;  away  from  the  nar- 
row stone  church,  in  which  a  yet  narrower  creed  was 
weekly  preached.  Away  from  all  these,  to  the  con- 
templation of  the  pure  and  the  beautiful,  these  glori- 
ous clouds  called  her,  and  she  loved  them,  the  friends 
and  companions  of  her  thoughts  through  many  a 
lonely  hour.  Now,  in  the  hush  of  a  hot  afternoon, 
she  lay  very  still  under  the  gold  rain  of  the  labur- 
num-trees, looking  up  at  the  towering  snowy  masses 
in  a  rapture  of  delight. 

11 


12         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

Stossop  Rectory  lay,  in  its  old-fashioned  country 
grounds,  inland  from  the  sea  about  two  miles  on  the 
south  coast  of  Devon,  and  a  very  beautiful  old  place 
it  was,  long  and  low,  containing  many  rooms,  and 
having  a  deep  gabled  roof  of  Titian-red,  that  showed 
above  the  wealth  of  white  and  delicately  pink  roses 
that  veiled  its  face ;  and  if  the  Rectory  from  without 
looked  the  typical,  peaceful  English  home,  so  within 
was  it  the  really  typical  English  home,  full  of  dis- 
union, pettiness,  quarrelling,  hatred  and  discontent. 
The  English  are  perhaps  of  all  humanity  the  greatest 
humbugs ;  they  love,  more  than  anything  in  the  world, 
pretence ;  and  the  farther  away  the  reality  is  from  the 
sham  they  create  out  of  their  imagination  the  more 
dearly  they  love  the  sham ;  hence  those  amazing  pic- 
tures of  the  domestic  hearth,  the  happy,  rosy-cheeked 
children,  the  smiling  mother,  the  loving,  protective 
father ;  the  gentle  temper,  the  sunny  cheerfulness,  the 
air  of  rest  and  peace  and  safety  pervading  all.  Has 
anyone  ever  been  the  inmate  of,  or  the  visitor  to,  such 
a  home?  Let  all  who  read  these  lines  recall  their 
recollections  of  home,  their  own  and  those  they  have 
seen.  Whoever  it  was  who  wrote  "  Home,  Sweet 
Home,"  one  feels  the  author  must  have  been  an  or- 
phan and  brought  up  at  a  school.  The  home  in 
reality  is  the  place  where  everyone  feels  they  can  dis- 
play their  bad  temper  and  their  bad  manners,  as 
they  can  wear  their  oldest,  ugliest  clothes  and  their 
surliest  expressions.  The  heroic  manly  brothers  of 
the  story-book  spend  their  time  in  pulling  their  sis- 
ters' hair  and  kicking  them  under  the  table;  the 
gentle  sisters  hate  them  secretly  in  return ;  the  father 
grumbles  at  his  wife,  the  wife  scolds  the  servants ;  and 


HOME  13 

so  the  dreary  round  of  home  life  goes  on.  The  boys 
escape  from  it  as  soon  as  they  can;  the  girls  rebel- 
liously  long  to  follow ;  the  unhappy  wife  and  mother 
hopes  vaguely  for  some  relief  that  never  comes ;  the 
father  cherishes  in  his  heart  the  memory  of  his  last 
visit  to  town,  on  business,  and  looks  forward  eagerly 
to  the  next,  enlivening  the  dull  and  stupid  time  that 
intervenes  by  bullying  his  wife. 

Such  is  the  average  home,  and  such  was  it  at 
Stossop  Rectory,  and,  but  for  the  enchanted  garden, 
Regina  Marlow,  the  Rector's  youngest  daughter,  who 
was  of  totally  different  stamp  and  mould  from  the 
rest  of  the  family,  could  never  have  supported  life 
in  it  at  all. 

Some  really  golden  moments  in  Mrs.  Marlow's  life, 
in  which  the  Rector  had  no  part  —  being  away  on 
one  of  his  business  visits  to  town — accounted  for 
Regina.  She  was  the  child  of  love  and  passion,  as 
the  others  were  of  distaste  and  dislike,  for  Mrs.  Mar- 
low  entertained  for  her  husband  that  solid  dislike 
which  is  the  basis  of  most  marital  relations.  And 
the  elder  daughters,  conceived  and  nurtured  in  it,  had 
hate  engrained  in  every  fibre  of  their  bodies.  It 
showed  in  the  spiteful  gleams  of  their  eyes,  in  the 
downward  turn  of  their  mouths,  in  their  incessant 
wrangling  with  each  other.  Beautiful  they  were,  for 
Mrs.  Marlow  was  beautiful,  but  the  nine  months  of 
inward  revolt  from  her  husband  that  she  had  suf- 
fered in  each  case  while  they  were  being  fashioned 
within  her,  of  her  blood  and  her  bone  and  her  brain, 
had  given  them  both  the  terrible  curse  of  the  hating 
soul.  But  Regina,  born  of  love,  of  that  sweet  tender- 
ness like  the  spring  zephyr,  of  that  wild  passion  like 


14         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

a  summer  storm,  that  the  gods  have  given  to  man  to 
illumine  the  darkness  of  the  earth,  Regina  showed  love 
and  joy  in  every  line  of  her  face  and  form.  Her 
mouth  was  always  smiling;  its  curves  were  upwards, 
not  downwards.  Her  voice  was  soft  with  all  the  notes 
of  love  and  sex  in  it ;  her  eyelids  were  sweetly  arched ; 
her  blue  eyes  overflowed  with  tenderness  and  smiles ; 
her  soul  was  filled  to  the  brim  with  what  the  Rector 
would  have  termed  the  "  grace  of  God,"  and  not  un- 
truly, since  God  is  love.  All  through  Regina's  crea- 
tion her  mother  had  dwelt  on  love  and  on  its  sacred 
memories,  and  naturally  enough  the  embryo  conceived 
and  reared  in  love  and  loving  thoughts  came  into 
the  world  fitted  out  and  equipped  for  love.  Ah,  how 
little  do  women  think  of  the  evil  they  commit  when 
they  give  themselves  to  husbands  they  do  not  love! 
The  hideous  crime  it  is,  blacker  than  any,  to  give  life 
to  beings  burdened  with  evil  souls,  do  they  ever  think 
of  it?  That  hate  they  feel  for  the  father,  do  they 
not  realise  how  it  bears  fruit  in  the  evil  tempers  and 
passions  of  the  child?  Mrs.  Marlow,  deep  in  her  in- 
most heart,  always  thought  of  Regina,  the  gay,  lov- 
ing, radiant  Regina,  as  the  child  of  sin.  No  small 
voice  ever  whispered  to  her  that  the  elder  children, 
fretful,  vicious,  unhealthy,  malicious,  reflections  of 
her  own  state  of  mind  when  bearing  them,  were  chil- 
dren of  a  greater  sin — against  themselves,  against 
society,  against  the  human  race. 

She  never  thought  about  these  things ;  she  believed 
herself  to  be  a  thoroughly  good  woman,  who  had 
sinned  once  in  her  life,  but  sincerely  repented. 

She  had  dismissed  her  lover ;  she  had  turned  a  deaf 
ear  to  the  passionate  entreaties  of  the  man  who  really 


HOME  15 

wanted  her,  and  had  remained  to  do  her  duty  to  her 
husband,  who  would  have  been  so  thankful  to  be  free 
from  her  —  duty,  which  consisted,  according  to  her 
ideas,  in  counting  his  shirts  when  they  came  home 
from  the  wash,  presiding  over  the  flannel  club  he  had 
started  in  the  village,  seeing  that  he  had  three  meals  a 
day  and  that  the  Rectory  was  cleaned  up  twice  a  year, 
and  disliking  him  extremely  the  whole  time. 

Year  by  year  her  face  hardened  and  her  intellect 
diminished  under  the  cramping  influence  of  the  hating 
habit;  now  and  then  the  lines  of  her  mouth  would 
soften  and  her  eyes  glow  tenderly  as  she  thought  of 
Regina's  father,  but  she  immediately  chased  the 
warmth  of  love  out  of  her  heart  as  most  improper, 
and  hastened  off  to  fold  her  husband's  clothes  or  put 
his  books  in  order,  with  the  proper  feeling  of  repul- 
sion, hatred  and  disgust  to  which  she  was  accustomed. 

Whether  such  a  state  of  living  and  being  would 
really  be  acceptable  to  the  one  who  said,  Love  one 
another,  and  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  she  never 
stopped  to  ask  herself.  That  she  would  have  been 
accounted  by  him  the  "  whitened  sepulchre  "  never 
occurred  to  her. 

Regina's  presence  she  could  not  bear,  the  girl  re- 
minded her  too  vividly  of  what  she  was  always  trying 
vainly  to  forget;  and  so,  while  her  mother  busied 
herself  more  and  more  with  old  women's  charities  and 
parochial  meetings,  Regina  was  left  more  and  more  to 
her  own  studies,  and  for  her  pleasures  to  the  en- 
chanted garden.  The  enchanted  garden  belonged  to 
an  unoccupied  villa  by  the  sea  called  "  The  Chalet." 
The  owner  had  left  it  in  charge  of  a  caretaker  and  a 
gardener,  but  had  begged  the  Rector  to  visit  both 


16         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

house  and  garden  occasionally  and  see  that  things 
were  kept  in  good  order.  The  Rector  being  very 
busy  had  gradually  allowed  this  duty  to  devolve  on 
Regina,  who  possessed  herself  of  the  keys,  made 
friends  with  the  gardener,  and  undertook  to  report  on 
the  property  from  time  to  time  to  the  owner.  In  this 
way  a  great  joy  had  come  into  her  life.  She  fell  in 
love  with  the  garden  at  first  sight  of  it,  and  her  visits 
there  soon  became  a  passion  of  delight  to  her.  In 
both  winter  and  summer  the  garden  was  almost; 
equally  beautiful.  From  its  extraordinarily  shel- 
tered position  no  winds  could  get  into  it  to  riot  there. 
Rain  and  snow  to  fall  upon  its  velvet  ground  had  to 
filter  through  a  maze  of  foliage  which  neither  withered 
nor  fell  through  all  the  dizzy  circle  of  the  seasons. 
The  garden  was  sunk  slightly  below  the  level  of  the 
green,  grassy,  sheltered  and  little-frequented  road 
that  lay  on  one  side  of  it,  and  from  which  it  was 
screened  by  masses  of  tamarisks  grown  into  splendid 
trees  and  banks  of  wild  red  roses,  the  tree  stems  of 
which  were  as  thick  as  a  man's  arm ;  on  the  other  side 
of  the  garden,  enclosing  all  the  magic  space,  was  a  low 
stone  balustrade,  and  through  its  interstices  glittered 
the  dancing  blue  of  the  sea ;  over  the  balustrade,  and 
far  above  it,  towered  great  aloes,  with  their  spiky 
leaves,  and  auricarias,  and  more  red  climbing  roses, 
and  ever  here  and  there  their  gentle  sprays  parted  and 
let  through  them  a  vision  of  the  wide  sea  and  the  blue 
and  violet  lines  of  distant  hills  on  a  far-off  coast.  In 
the  centre  of  the  garden  rose  in  its  stately  majesty  a 
single  palm,  and  stretched  its  benign  and  glorious 
branches  widely  and  evenly  on  every  side,  catching 
the  rosy  light  of  the  dawn,  the  red  glow  of  the  after- 


HOME  17 

noon  and  the  crimson  of  the  sunset  through  the  pro- 
cession of  the  hours ;  for  the  garden  lay  to  the  south, 
and  the  sun  made  it  his  resting-place  through  all  the 
golden  day;  beneath  the  palm,  cool  in  its  shade,  lay 
green  turf,  emerald-coloured,  velvety,  wonderful ;  and 
on  this  without  order,  except  the  gracious  order  of 
nature,  stood  at  wide  intervals  standard  rose-trees 
bearing  blossoms  of  every  shape  and  hue  —  white 
and  amber  and  cream,  red,  crimson  to  blackness, 
blush-pink  like  a  maiden's  cheek,  yellow  and  deep 
orange  —  and  all  of  them  were  scented.  Unlike  the 
over-cultivated  roses  of  some  rich  man's  garden, 
where  excessive  culture  has  induced  extravagant  size 
at  the  expense  of  the  flower's  natural  mystic  charm, 
its  perfume,  these  flowers  were  all  comparatively 
small,  but  rich  both  in  colour  and  fragrance.  So 
sweet  was  the  breath  of  the  roses  that  for  half-a-mile 
before  one  reached  the  garden  its  divine  scent  drifted 
out  to  the  wayfarer  and,  as  in  Damascus,  the  whole 
air  and  every  breeze  whispered  of  the  rose. 

To  Regina  these  rose-trees  standing  on  the  green 
grass,  not  in  lines,  or  rows  or  circles,  not  in  beds  nor 
borders,  seemed  less  like  plants  than  living  figures; 
they  seemed  to  her  fancy  to  stand  like  beautiful  girls 
in  a  ballroom  waiting  for  their  partners  to  dance  with, 
and  the  perfume  diffused  by  them  in  the  air  seemed 
like  the  music  of  their  innocent  conversation.  She 
never  tired  of  watching  them  and  noting  the  graceful 
attitudes  in  which  they  stood,  and  how  sometimes  two 
or  three  would  bend  together  as  if  to  murmur  their 
confidences. 

Round  the  great  oval  of  the  green  turf,  with  its 
standing  roses,  ran  a  narrow  path,  and  this  towards 


18         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

the  western  end  of  the  garden  met  other  little  paths, 
and  these  all  ran,  together  or  separately,  now  side  by 
side,  now  widely  diverse  through  thickets  of  tamarisk, 
aloe  and  rose,  under  other  thick  branching  palms, 
where  it  was  so  dark  at  noon  under  tangled  creeper 
and  vine  that  it  seemed  like  evening;  and  yet,  dark 
though  they  were,  all  these  winding,  hidden  paths  led 
at  last  out  to  the  porphyry  balustrade  and  the  glit- 
tering purple  sea. 

The  effect  of  this  garden  on  Regina's  artistic,  po- 
etic, beauty-loving  nature  was  like  magic.  However 
sad  or  irritated,  nervous,  ill  or  angry  she  might  be 
when  she  came  there,  once  the  gate  of  the  garden  was 
passed  a  deep  peace  fell  upon  her.  All  here  was 
silence,  rest  and  fragrance;  the  perfect  harmony  of 
light  and  shade,  the  mystic  presence  of  beauty;  and 
all  her  cares  and  troubles,  and  the  annoyances  of  the 
petty  world  in  which  she  lived,  fell  from  her;  her 
soul  seemed  to  unfurl  its  wings  and  soar  through  ra- 
diant spaces,  and  everything  was  forgotten  but  the 
beauty  of  the  earth  and  the  glory  of  light  and  colour 
and  the  laugh  of  the  joyous  sea. 

To  the  girl  lying  gazing  up  at  the  white  clouds  this 
Sunday  afternoon  the  thought  of  the  garden  came 
sweetly,  and  she  got  up  and  shook  out  the  folds  of  her 
cambric  gown  and  took  the  winding  path  through  the 
"Rectory  garden  which  led  to  the  old  road  to  the  coast. 
She  had  no  hat,  and  through  the  lace  of  her  white 
parasol  the  sun  streamed  down  warmly  on  her  thick 
and  waving  hair,  hair  itself  sun-coloured  and  light- 
filled,  and  on  the  pale  rose  of  her  cheeks  and  the  blue 
of  her  eyes  softly  shaded  by  their  curling  lashes. 
Tall,  erect  and  graceful,  in  the  first  glo  y  of  her 


HOME  19 

youth,  Regina  Marlow  walked  that  afternoon  with 
the  step  and  carriage  that  her  name  implied.  As  she 
walked,  she  was  thinking;  she  had  a  small  black 
scholarly-looking  book  clasped  in  her  hand,  but  to- 
day she  was  not  thinking  of  her  studies :  her  thoughts 
clustered  round  an  approaching  event  which  was  com- 
ing to  disturb  the  even  discomfort  of  the  Rectory,  and 
which  had  been  the  sole  topic  of  conversation  at 
luncheon  that  day.  A  friend  of  the  Rector,  a  junior 
chum  of  his  in  Oxford  days,  had  been  invited  and  was 
coming  to  stay  at  Stossop  with  them,  and  Regina 
wondered  very  much  within  herself  whether  he  would 
be  interesting  or  not.  She  had  heard  that  he  was 
immensely  rich,  but  that  did  nut  interest  her  at  all, 
though  the  whole  family  had  nearly  fallen  into  a 
violent  quarrel  amongst  themselves  as  to  the  exact 
amount  of  his  income  and  the  number  of  his  country 
houses,  much  to  Regina's  amusement,  who  could  not 
see  what  it  mattered  to  them  whether  he  were  once 
or  three  times  a  millionaire.  She  had  heard  that  he 
had  travelled  a  great  deal,  which  attracted  her,  but 
chiefly,  she  understood,  for  sport,  which  repelled  her. 
That  he  was  a  very  brilliant  individual,  much  sought 
after,  courted  and  feted  in  society,  impressed  her, 
but  only  vaguely,  since  the  world  of  men  and  their 
judgments  and  opinions  were  very  far  away  from 
Stossop. 

Her  query  to  the  Rector  as  to  his  appearance  had 
been  answered  by :  "  Oh  yes ;  Everest  was  the  best- 
looking  fellow  at  Oxford,"  a  phrase  that  left  her 
equally  uninformed,  since  she  had  no  idea  what  the 
men  at  Oxford  were  like.  If  they  resembled  the  av- 
erage individual  she  saw  at  Stossop,  the  Rector'* 


20 

words  would  not  necessarily  mean  much.  And  out  of 
this  chaotic  non-knowledge  of  him  in  her  mind,  and 
from  the  incessant  chatter  of  her  sisters  about  him, 
a  very  splendid  and  glowing  vision  of  the  stranger 
had  gradually  grown  up,  and  she  looked  forward  to 
this  evening,  when  he  was  going  to  arrive,  with  a 
joyous  sense  of  elation  and  interest  which  was  im- 
personal in  its  nature  and  very  different  from  the 
anxious,  calculating  hopes  that  inspired  the  rest  of 
the  family. 

To  Regina's  intense  and  secret  amusement  she  saw 
that  her  sisters  had  quite  made  up  their  minds  that 
Everest  Lanark,  his  unusual  rent-roll  and  indeter- 
minable number  of  country  houses,  should  be  cap- 
tured by  one  or  other  of  them;  and  the  Rector,  while 
professing  to  be  entirely  disinterested,  really  fell  in 
with  this  idea,  while  her  mother  openly  exerted  herself 
about  the  girls'  wardrobes,  and  fussed  over  their  new 
evening  dresses,  warning  them  against  burning  their 
complexions,  and  urging  them  to  practise  their  draw- 
ing-room songs  before  his  arrival.  To  Regina's  keen 
intelligence  the  idea  that  a  mail  of  large  resources,  of 
wide  travel,  of  immense  experience,  who  had  reached 
the  age  of  forty-six  or  seven,  untouched  by  all  the 
beauty  that,  according  to  all  accounts,  had  always 
been  at  his  feet,  should  immediately  succumb  to  the 
attractions  of  an  ordinary,  country  girl,  without  rank, 
title,  wealth  or  any  of  those  things  to  which  he  was 
accustomed  —  without  talent  or  charm  of  any  sort 
except  youth  and  a  pretty  face  —  seemed  improbable 
in  the  extreme. 

For  her  sisters  Regina  felt  that  sort  of  marvelling 
wonder  that  the  naturally  clever  and  gifted  individual 


HOME  21 

feels  for  the  ordinary  person,  and  which  is  far  greater 
than  any  admiring  wonder  that  the  limited  brain 
of  the  ordinary  person  can  conceive  for  the  clever 
one. 

Why  did  they  not  do  something  —  and  something 
well  —  she  often  asked  herself.  They  did  nothing, 
and  wanted  to  do  nothing;  they  knew  nothing,  and 
wanted  to  know  nothing. 

To  Regina,  always  learning,  always  acquiring,  al- 
ways thinking,  always  doing  something,  it  seemed 
truly  marvellous. 

In  the  Rectory  there  was  a  splendid  library,  full  of 
books  in  all  kinds  of  languages,  treating  of  all  coun- 
tries, religions  and  philosophies ;  yet  neither  of  the 
elder  girls  had  opened  one  of  them.  They  hardly 
realised  that  any  other  religion  than  the  Christian 
existed,  barely  knew  whether  the  world  was  round 
or  square,  knew  no  language  but  their  own,  had  no 
conception  of  what  was  conveyed  by  the  words  Roman 
Empire,  and  had  never  heard  of  Troy.  They  played 
a  very  little  on  the  piano  and  sung  a  little  less,  badly 
and  out  of  time.  They  went  to  church  regularly  and 
visited  the  poor,  because  their  parents  insisted  on 
their  doing  it,  in  their  quality  of  the  Rector's  daugh- 
ters, and  Regina  often  wondered  what  the  "  poor  " 
thought  of  them.  The  rest  of  the  time  they  spent 
reading  some  novel  that  dealt  exclusively  with  Eng- 
lish life,  for  they  could  not  understand  any  other; 
fashioning  and  refashioning  their  costumes,  and  hop- 
ing vaguely  for  the  wealthy  individuals  they  thought 
they  deserved  to  come  to  the  Rectory  and  insist  on 
marrying  them ! 

To  Regina,  who  was  up  with  the  light  of  the  dawn 


22         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

to  read  and  study  and  work,  who  had  absorbed  al- 
ready the  learning  of  a  quarter  of  the  library,  who  had 
mastered  Greek  and  Latin  and  read  in  five  modern 
languages  besides,  though  she  had  no  opportunity  of 
speaking  them,  who  played  really  well  and  was  endued 
with  a  natural  gift  for  painting,  the  ignorance  and 
apathy  of  her  sisters  were  beyond  understanding. 

She  did  not  know  that  her  own  splendid  health  and 
energy,  her  capacity  for  hard  work  and  concentra- 
tion, her  quick  and  eager  mind,  all  came  from  that 
golden  source:  the  passionate  love  that  had  formed 
her  being.  Had  she  known  the  heavy  handicap  laid 
upon  her  sisters  at  their  birth  she  would  have  pitied 
them  even  more  than  she  did  now,  and  wondered  at 
them  less. 

By  the  time  she  reached  the  garden  the  sun  was 
low  in  the  sky  and  great  bars  of  yellow  light  fell  all 
across  the  vivid  green  amongst  the  standing  roses. 
She  opened  and  closed  the  gate  very  softly,  for  the 
birds  were  singing,  and  the  white  doves  that  belonged 
to  the  Chalet  were  cooing,  and  she  did  not  want  to 
jar  upon  the  concert.  She  entered  silently,  and 
slowly  walked  round  the  winding  paths,  her  whole 
being  lifted  up  and  expanding  in  the  peace  and  fra- 
grance and  beauty  of  this  radiant  solitude. 

How  many  afternoons  and  evenings  had  she  not 
walked  there  alone!  And  now,  to-morrow  perhaps, 
she  would  bring  the  stranger  there  to  see  it.  Would 
he  feel  the  enchantment  of  it  as  she  did,  she  wondered, 
or  would  he  say,  as  her  father  had  done :  "  Those 
roses,  you  know,  Regina,  ought  to  be  in  beds ;  it's 
absurd  having  them  all  over  the  place  like  this." 

That  should  be  the  test,  she  thought:  if  he  said 


HOME  23 

anything  like  that,  or  if  he  suggested  that  the  wild 
tamarisks  should  be  cut  down  or  thinned  out,  she 
would  not  care  about  him. 

It  was  a  curious  fact  that,  in  all  her  reverie  con- 
cerning him,  it  never  once  occurred  to  her  to  picture 
wlhat  his  feelings  might  be  for  her:  she  was  wholly 
absorbed  in  wondering  what  her  feelings  might  be 
towards  him.  So  far  in  her  experience  with  men,  and 
it  had  not  been  very  wide  or  deep,  she  had  found  them 
uniformly  fall  in  love  with  her,  and  she  had  grown 
to  accept  this,  without  paying  much  attention  to  it, 
as  a  common  habit  of  theirs,  lik«  smoking. 

The  doctor  had  wanted  her  to  marry  him  and  pre- 
side over  the  village  dispensary;  the  curate  had 
wanted  her  to  marry  him  and  manage  coal  clubs  and 
write  his  sermons  for  him  all  the  rest  of  her  life ;  the 
Latin  master  had  wanted  her  to  marry  him  and  take 
his  boys'  class  in  Greek  verse,  and  the  same  master's 
assistant  had  wanted  her  to  marry  him  and  run  away 
to  London  with  him;  but  to  all  of  these  Regina  had 
said  a  very  gentle  No,  though  her  heart  had  beat  at 
their  words  and  her  colour  had  come  and  gone  un- 
certainly, for  she  unconsciously  responded  to  all  love 
as  the  bell  responds  to  the  vibration  of  the  note  to 
which  it  is  attuned. 

Regima,  naturally,  never  spoke  to  anyone  of  these 
offers  and  refusals,  but  they  gradually  became  known 
in  the  village,  as  everything  is  always  known  in  an 
English  village.  When  the  grumpy  doctor  became 
more  surly  and  grumpy  than  ever;  when  the  Latin 
master  took  to  caning  his  boys  every  day  instead  of 
every  week;  when  the  curate  came  to  church  whiter 
than  his  surplice,  with  dark  rings  under  his  eyes,  and 


24         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

the  assistant  master  went  away  to  town  and  shot  him- 
self in  his  lodgings  there,  it  was  all  put  down  to 
Regina,  and  her  conduct  in  having  had  four  proposals 
was  called  "  disgraceful "  by  the  ladies  in  the  village 
who  had  not  had  one,  and  were  twice  and  three  times 
her  age. 

The  curate  asked  her  if  it  was  not  very  miserable 
for  a  woman  to  feel  she  was  making  a  man  unhappy, 
and  Regina  had  answered  very  truly :  "  Yes ;  but  she 
gets  accustomed  to  it."  She  could  not  marry  them 
all,  and  had  she  married  one  the  other  three  would 
still  have  been  unconsoled.  So,  when  she  was  being 
abused  and  reproached  for  her  heartlessness,  she  sim- 
ply went  away  to  the  enchanted  garden  and  tried  to 
forget  about  all  of  them.  Her  sisters'  strange  conceit 
in  themselves  prevented  them  from  owing  her  any  ill- 
will  for  these  events. 

They  fancied  that  Regina's  lovers  did  not  aspire  to 
them ;  that,  while  good  enough  for  her,  they  would  not 
dare  to  lift  their  eyes  to  the  beautiful  elder  daughters 
of  the  Rector,  the  real  fact  being  that  none  of  the 
four  men  would  have  burdened  his  life  with  either  of 
the  silly,  weakly,  useless  creatures. 

Regina,  lying  with  her  cheek  pressed  to  the  bright 
green  turf,  listened  in  silence  to  the  wild  beating  of 
her  heart,  as  she  thought  of  love.  "  Surely  it  must 
mean  more  than  they  think  and  make  of  it,"  she  told 
herself  when  the  memory  of  these  men  recurred  to  her. 
And  she  leaned  most  towards  the  young  master,  be- 
cause he  had  given  up  his  life  for  love,  but,  greatly 
though  his  enthusiastic  mind  had  pleased  her,  his 
face  and  figure  had  not,  and  she  did  not  regret  him. 

She  would  look  up  to  the  roses  leaning  over  her  and 


HOME  «5 

repeat  to  them  some  Greek  lines  that  fascinated  her: 
"  Oh,  children,  what  is  this  that  men  call  love  ?  "  And 
the  roses  seemed  to  quiver  and  bend  lower  over  her  to» 
hear  the  answer :  "  Love  is  not  love  alone,  but  in- 
deed is  known  by  many  names;  it  is  unbridled  vio- 
lence ;  it  is  unslaked  thirst ;  it  is  intolerable  anguish ;  it 
is  unbounded  joy;  it  is  endless  lamentation,"  and  as 
a  breath  stirred  in  the  garden  the  trees  seemed  to 
throw  high  their  blossoms  on  the  scented  breeze  in  a 
wild  and  gay  response :  "  Whatever  it  is,  good  or 
ill,  we  wait  for  it,  worship  it,  live  for  it,  die  for  it." 
This  seemed  their  song  to  the  girl,  and  the  white 
doves  took  it  up  and  echoed  it,  and  the  thrushes  war- 
bled it  in  their  passionate  throats,  and  the  nightin- 
gales in  the  dark  parts  of  the  garden  trilled  out  in 
warm  melody  the  same  notes :  "  Wait  for  it,  worship 
it,  live  for  it,  die  for  it,"  and  the  girl  heard  it,  with 
a  wonderful  elation  and  triumph  filling  her,  for  she 
knew  that  whatever  gift  the  gods  might  have  denied 
her  in  this  life  they  had  bestowed  the  supreme  one  of 
all  —  the  power  to  love,  and  to  inspire  love.  It  was 
this  intuitive  knowledge  of  the  great  power  within 
her,  the  limitless  capacity  for  devotion,  the  aptitude 
for  love,  that,  paradoxical  as  it  may  seem,  had  kept 
her  from  love  so  far. 

She  knew  that  somewhere  in  the  world  there  must 
be  men  who  possessed  beauty  and  strength  and  grace 
and  intellect,  all  that  she  loved;  and  one  of  these 
would  call  up  in  her  that  same  wild  elation,  that  keen 
rush  of  adoration,  the  vivid  joy,  that  she  felt  under 
the  sky  at  sunset,  when  it  arrayed  itself  in  its  most 
glorious  colours,  or  in  the  garden,  when  the  roses 
poured  over  her  their  fragrance,  or  in  Exeter  Cathe- 


26 

drals  when  the  roll  of  melody  from  the  organ  seemed 
to  catch  up  her  breathless  soul  and  carry  it  away 
to  unknown  spheres.  She  felt  in  fact  that  need  of 
her  being  to  worship  which,  in  the  young  and  inno- 
cent, is  the  first  knowledge  of  love.  And  as  her 
reason  revolted  from  worshipping  the  doctor  or  the 
curate  or  the  Latin  master  or  the  assistant  master, 
she  knew  that  she  did  not  love,  and  she  would  not 
marry  them.  For  before  f,  clever  and  well-awakened 
mind  can  give  itself  over  tf 'the  worship  of  any  object, 
either  that  object  must  be  worthy  of  the  worship,  or 
it  must  so  dazzle  the  senses  of  the  worshipper,  throw 
such  a  magic  glamour  around  itself,  that  it  appears 
to  be  worthy  of  it ;  Regina  had  never  seen  anyone  yet 
who  could  capture  Vier  reason  or  dazzle  her  senses, 
and  now  the  query  came  before  her,  floating  hazily, 
cloud-like  on  the  horizon  of  her  thoughts,  would  this 
new-comer  to  the  Rectory  bring  with  him  the  power 
of  the  sunset  s\ies  and  the  cathedral  music? 

For  a  whole  fortnight  nothing  had  been  talked  of 
except  the  approaching  visit.  It  had  engrossed  the 
entire  household.  The  finest  bedroom  in  the  Rectory, 
with  a  little  sitting-room  opening  out  of  it,  had  been 
assigned  to  the  guest,  and  to  these  rooms  the  occu- 
pants of  the  house  had  carried  their  various  treasures, 
sometimes  openly,  sometimes  surreptitiously.  Mrs. 
Marlow  had  contributed  her  favourite  lounging-chair 
from  her  boudoir,  Miss  Marlow  had  lent  her  silver 
•clock,  and  Miss  Violet  Marlow  her  set  of  silken  cush- 
ions from  her  own  sofa,  and  many  more  pretty  and 
graceful  objects  had  travelled  that  way  for  many 
days,  till  the  family  really  felt  that  their  guest  would 
be  pleased  with  the  little  suite,  even  accustomed  as 


HOME  37 

he  was,  in  their  imagination,  to  be  surrounded  by 
tokens  of  fabulous  wealth.  Regina  that  morning  had 
herself  placed  on  the  dressing- table  as  her  contribu- 
tion two  lovely  roses  of  perfect  shape  and  hue,  in  a 
slender  vase  of  gilded  crystal,  but  Miss  Marlow  hav- 
ing come  in  and  noticed  the  divine  fragrance  filling 
all  the  air,  and  recognising  her  sister's  vase,  had 
seized  the  golden  roses  by  their  heads,  torn  them  out 
of  the  water  and  flung  them  into  the  garden,  just  as 
Regina  was  passing  underneath.  She  looked  up  with 
a  glance  of  amused  irony  rather  than  anger.  Such 
little  amenities  were  not  uncommon  in  the  Rectory 
home. 

"  You  have  no  business  to  interfere  with  his 
rooms,"  Miss  Marlow  called  from  the  window.  "  We 
don't  want  flowers  in  here,  dropping  their  leaves  and 
making  the  place  untidy." 

Regina  raised  her  shoulders  a  little  and  passed  on 
in  silence,  having  stooped  and  gathered  up  the  glori- 
ous blossoms,  so  fresh  that  they  were  little  hurt  by 
the  fall,  and  they  were  now  blooming  in  her  room. 
A  smile  was  on  her  face  as  she  pursued  her  way. 
She  would  wear  them  that  night  at  dinner  and  h« 
should  admire  them  on  her  instead  of  on  his  table,  that 
was  all. 

She  walked  now  from  end  to  end  of  the  garden, 
thinking  of  the  morrow  or  the  next  day,  when  she 
would  bring  him  there.  All  was  in  perfect  order; 
she  had  never  seen  it  look  more  lovely,  and  she  leant 
at  last  with  a  sigh  of  contentment  on  the  balustrade, 
gazing  across  the  purple  expanse  of  the  sea,  to  the 
hazy  golden  outlines  of  the  distant  coast. 

How  the  thrushes  sang,  till  the  whole  air  quivered 


J88         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

about  her  with  melody.  And  but  for  love  they  would 
never  sing  at  all,  and  but  for  love  the  roses  would 
have  no  scent,  the  doves  would  not  coo,  the  trees  would 
have  no  blossom  and  no  fruit.  What  a  wonderful  gift 
it  is  to  the  world,  she  thought,  this  love !  —  the  author 
of  everything  pleasing  and  beautiful,  the  source  of 
eternal  life.  No  wonder  that  through  all  the  ages 
men  have  worshipped  it  and  sung  of  it,  and  poured 
out  all  the  powers  of  their  brain  to  magnify  it.  And 
yet  the  never-ending  paean  chanted  throughout  the 
centuries  is  but  a  feeble  and  inadequate  whisper  of 
its  greatness.  Man's  voice  being  human  is  not  at- 
tuned to  sing  fittingly  of  what  is  divine.  Men  realise 
that  life  comes  from  love,  but  how  many  realise  that 
also  all  the  decoration  of  life  comes  from  it!  Even 
if  we  could  exist  without  love,  with  it  we  must  give 
up  the  beauty  of  women,  the  fragrance  of  flowers,  the 
melody  of  birds,  the  charm  of  the  human  voice,  the 
power  of  the  brain. 

These  are  not  separate  entities,  they  are  simply 
the  effects  of  the  power  of  love. 

A  silver  clash  of  bells,  softened  by  distance,  came 
from  the  church  tower  across  the  bay,  and  slowly, 
regretfully,  Regina  took  her  arm  from  the  balustrade. 
She  could  not  stay  longer  in  the  garden  now,  but 
to-morrow ! 

Through  the  wonderful  golden  light  of  a  June  aft- 
ernoon she  took  her  way  slowly  homeward,  across  the 
hay  meadows  and  fields  of  standing  corn,  by  many 
little  cross  cuts  that  she  knew,  and  arrived  at  the 
Rectory  about  an  hour  before  the  time  for  their  guest 
to  arrive.  She  went  straight  to  her  own  room  to 
dress ;  she  was  saved  any  embarrassing  choice  of  toil- 


HOME  29 

ettes,  for  she  had  only  two,  one  her  best,  the  other 
a  plain  black  net,  and  she  would  not  wear  black  to 
receive  him.  Her  sisters  had  a  maid  between  them, 
but  she  never  cared  for  anyone  to  help  her,  or  to  be 
dependent  on  anyone  for  such  essential  things  as 
dressing  and  hair-doing.  She  took  out  a  white  dress 
and  laid  by  it  her  only  jewels  —  some  pearls  left  her 
by  her  grandmother  —  and  the  two  tea  roses.  That 
was  all  she  had  to  aid  her,  but  Regina  knew  it  was 
enough.  She  washed  her  face  in  the  hottest  water,  so 
that  it  came  out  clear  and  white,  with  a  warm  glow 
in  the  cheeks,  and  then  piled  up  loosely,  so  that  all  its 
natural  waves  had  their  full  play,  the  shining  masses 
of  her  hair.  Then  the  dress  over  her  head  by  one 
quick  movement  and  fastened  down  her  bosom,  and  at 
the  waist,  under  veils  of  tulle ;  the  roses  slipped  in  her 
hair  and  belt ;  the  pearls  clasped  round  her  throat, 
and  she  had  finished  dressing.  She  was  ready,  and 
free  to  sit  down  and  look  at  her  vision  in  the  glass, 
which  she  did. 

How  bright  her  eyes  were !  —  they  looked  like  great 
sapphires ;  and  how  red  her  lips !  People  might 
easily  think  they  were  painted.  The  skin,  how  trans- 
parent and  soft,  like  the  untouched  petal  of  a  white 
anemone.  And  her  arms,  they  gleamed,  milk-colour, 
amongst  the  tulle. 

Beyond  her  window  the  light  was  fading  in  the 
deep  rose  of  the  west ;  pale  violet  shadows  were  steal- 
ing up  from  the  copse  and  enveloping  all  the  garden 
with  the  peace  of  evening.  As  her  glance  wandered 
from  her  own  bright  face  to  the  serene  outside,  a 
feeling  came  to  her  that  that  day  closed  a  definite 
period  of  her  life.  Eighteen  years  were  now  accom- 


30         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

plished  —  years  of  thought,  of  work,  of  learning,  of 
contemplation,  and  they  were  over.  The  thought 
brought  no  sadness  with  it,  only  joy.  Whatever  the 
next  period  of  time  brought  with  it,  she  was  ready, 
eager  to  go  forward,  to  meet  the  embrace  of  life. 
That  it  might  mean  merely  the  staying  on  and  on  at 
home  in  Stossop,  as  it  had  done  for  nearly  thirty 
unhappy  girls  in  the  village,  never  occurred  to  her. 
Intuitively  she  knew  she  would  escape  from  the  nar- 
row, cramping  existence  of  her  home.  It  was  only 
the  way  and  the  manner  of  escape  that,  she  felt,  was 
unknown  to  her. 

Full  of  dominant  energy,  fear  of  that  way  or  man- 
ner never  touched  her.  Of  such  are  the  elect  of  the 
world.  The  poor,  ignorant,  helpless,  wilting  mass 
of  Stossop's  spinsters  is  but  extravagant  Nature's 
waste  material  thrown  out  on  the  dust-heaps  of 
time. 

The  light  crush  of  the  gravel  under  carriage  wheels 
came  to  her  ears,  footsteps  outside  her  door  and  on 
the  stairs,  voices  ascending  from  the  garden.  She 
heard  the  commotion,  and  very  softly  stole  out  of  her 
room  to  the  oak  rail  round  the  well,  that  went  down 
straight  to  tJie  hall  below,  and  looked  over.  The 
guest  was  arriving.  The  footman  was  bringing  in 
some  light  luggage.  She  could  see  her  father  and 
mother  both  standing  there  by  the  door,  waiting,  and 
catch  a  glimpse  of  her  sisters  close  by  the  drawing- 
room  door.  No  one  thought  of,  or  noticed,  her,  and 
she  leant  over  the  balustrade  facing  the  entrance. 
Then  he  came  in  and  she  saw  him.  Much  as  she  had 
expected,  much  as  report  had  led  her  to  expect,  the 
reality  was  more  than  she  had  ever  pictured. 


HOME  31 

Straight  and  tall,  with  a  wonderful  elegance  of  figure 
that  not  even  travelling  clothes  could  conceal,  he 
entered  the  hall  and  took  off  his  hat,  standing  without 
it  as  he  greeted  her  parents.  Entranced,  the  girl 
looked  down  upon  the  perfectly  shaped  head,  with  its 
mass  of  thick  black  hair,  waving  a  little  as  it  rose  from 
the  smooth,  wide  forehead,  on  which,  to  her  down- 
ward view,  the  eyebrows  seemed  extraordinarily  dark 
and  striking,  the  eyes  she  could  not  see,  but  the  fine, 
straight,  beautifully  carved  nose  and  chin,  the  turn 
of  the  head  on  the  long  neck,  the  line  of  the  cheek, 
the  colour  of  the  skin,  a  warm,  transparent  tan,  all 
seemed  to  the  dazzled  eyes  of  the  girl  to  make  up  a 
vision  of  remarkable  beauty ;  she  heard  him  speaking, 
and  the  quiet,  well-bred  tones  came  up  to  her  as  some- 
thing totally  different  from  any  voice  she  had  ever 
heard,  from  the  curate's  sanctimonious  twang,  from 
the  doctor's  brusque,  curt  utterances,  from  the  Latin 
master's  guttural  pedantry.  Musical,  even,  perfect, 
like  sounds  from  another  world,  the  waves  of  air 
carrying  his  voice  came  up  to  her. 

He  stood  talking,  while  his  valet  brought  in  what 
seemed  to  the  girl  a  great  deal  of  yellow  hand-lug- 
gage and  put  it  down  in  the  hall.  Then  she  saw  her 
mother  motion  to  her  sisters,  and  they  came  up,  look- 
ing very  beautiful,  as  Regina  thought,  without  a 
touch  of  envy.  She  did  not  fear  their  beauty,  and 
merely  rejoiced  that  he  should  see  what  presentable 
sisters  she  had.  Miss  Marlow  was  in  pale  pink 
satin,  against  which  her  brown  head,  twined  round 
with  pearls,  contrasted  well.  Violet  Marlow  wore  a 
dark  blue  muslin,  like  the  ultramarine  of  the  sea,  and 
her  blond  hair  and  snowy  skin  seemed  fair  as  its 


32         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

foam.  Regina  saw  the  look  of  interest  flash  across 
the  man's  face  as  he  turned  to  them;  she  noted  her 
parents'  pride  as  the  presentation  was  made.  Then 
there  was  more  light  talking  and  laughter,  and  Regina 
simply  marvelled  at  the  sweetness  of  her  sisters' 
voices.  Was  that  the  same  organ  as  the  one  with 
which  Jane  Marlow  had  called  to  her  from  the  win- 
dow? Was  Violet's  voice  now  really  the  same  as  the 
one  with  which  she  wrangled  and  argued  over  the 
Rectory  dinner-table  every  night?  Then  she  ceased 
to  notice  them,  and  her  ears  went  back  to  listening  to 
the  man's  quiet  replies,  while  her  eyes  drank  and 
drank  of  all  the  grace  and  wonder  of  his  presence. 
Then  suddenly  there  was  a  movement  towards  the 
stairs,  her  parents  stood  aside,  the  girls  drew  back, 
and  Everest,  followed  by  his  valet,  came  upstairs. 

Regina,  soundless  as  a  white  shadow,  turned  away 
and  went  back  into  her  room,  softly  closing  the  door. 
Her  eyes  were  suffused,  yet  shining  like  stars  on  a 
rainy  night;  her  face  was  full  of  colour;  her  breast 
rose  and  fell  so  rapidly  that  all  her  white  muslin 
drapery  quivered. 

"  How  wonderful,  how  delightful  he  is,"  she  mur- 
mured to  herself.  "  It  is  nice  to  know  there  are  hu- 
man beings  like  that,  that  they  are  not  all  hideous  and 
harsh-voiced,  and  humpy-backed,  and  badly  dressed 
as  they  are  in  Stossop.  He  is  perfect,  and  he  has 
come  here,  and  I  can  love  him." 

To  meet  one  that  you  can  love;  what  a  privilege 
that  is.  She  stood  for  some  time  thinking  over  that, 
lost  in  the  contemplation  of  that  great  truth.  It  is  so 
easy  for  a  woman  to  find  those  that  will  love  her,  so 
difficult  to  find  one  she  can  love.  For  woman  being 


HOME  83 

the  superior  animal  in  every  way,  in  beauty,  in  vital- 
ity, in  intellect  and  charm,  almost  any  woman  is  good 
enough  for  a  man,  whereas  there  is  only  one  man  here 
and  there  that  is  good  enough  for  a  woman. 

After  a  pause,  she  moved  over  to  her  long  glass  and 
looked  at  herself.  She  was  quite  satisfied.  There 
was  nothing  more  to  do,  and  she  threw  herself  into 
an  easy-chair,  and  called  up  that  vision  of  him  behind 
her  closed  lids  as  he  entered  her  cordially  hated  home. 

When  the  gong  sounded  she  went  down,  and  as  they 
were  all  assembled  in  the  dining-room,  and  she  was  the 
last  to  enter,  all  eyes  turned  upon  her  as  she  did  so. 
She  hesitated  for  a  moment  by  the  door,  and  Everest 
thought,  with  a  sudden  startled  interest,  what  an 
attractive  picture  she  made.  Her  soft,  snow-white 
draperies  fell  about  a  figure  tall  and  slender  and  sup- 
ple, harmonious  in  all  its  lines  as  a  beautiful  melody 
is  in  its  sounds.  Three  rows  of  glistening  pearls  en- 
circled a  round  throat,  whiter  than  themselves ;  above 
was  her  pink-tinted  face,  crowned  by  its  fair  cluster- 
ing hair.  But  the  arresting  power  was  in  her  eyes ; 
excited,  pleased,  animated,  they  were  wide  open,  full 
of  light  and  fire,  and  as  he  rose  and  approached  her 
they  gazed  upon  him  with  a  sort  of  rapture. 

Her  two  sisters  glanced  at  her  in  angry  surprise, 
and  then  at  each  other. 

Her  father  got  up  and  presented  Everest  blandly : 
"  Regina,  this  is  Mr.  Everest  Lanark.  My  youngest 
daughter,  Regina." 

Everest  took  a  very  soft,  warm  hand  in  his  for  a 
moment,  and  while  he  did  so,  the  fragrance  of  the 
glorious  tea-rose  blossoms,  one  in  her  hair,  another 
at  her  breast,  came  to  him ;  his  eyes  fell  on  them,  and 


34         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

always  afterwards  her  image,  in  his  mind,  was  asso- 
ciated with  those  golden  roses. 

A  moment  later  they  were  all  seated  at  the  table : 
Everest  on  the  right  of  Mrs.  Marlow  and  next  to 
Miss  Marlow,  and  opposite  Miss  Violet  Marlow  and 
the  Rector,  Regina  at  the  end  of  the  table,  on  his  side, 
where  he  could  not  well  see  her,  except  by  bending 
forward. 

She  did  not  care.  She  was  quite  content.  The 
dinner  went  admirably.  Everest,  pleased  at  the 
proximity  of  so  much  youthful  beauty,  and  with  a 
really  clever  if  extremely  narrow  man,  in  the  Rector 
opposite,  to  talk  to,  appeared  quite  to  enjoy  it.  At 
its  conclusion  the  four  women  rose ;  the  men  were  left 
together. 

Everest  did  not  drink  much,  but  he  tried  the  Rec- 
tor's old  claret;  he  did  not  smoke  either,  but 
his  host  did,  so  Everest  took  a  cigarette  with  him. 

Regina  slipped  away  up  to  her  own  room.  She 
was  afraid  to  risk  being  alone  in  the  drawing-room 
with  her  sisters,  lest  her  roses  should  be  torn  off,  her 
hair  pulled  down  or  her  toilette  suffer  in  some  way  at 
their  hands.  Before  the  Rector  they  usually  kept  up 
some  outward  seemliness  of  conduct.  So  she  waited 
until  she  heard  Everest  and  her  father  come  out  of 
the  dining-room  and  enter  the  drawing-room  before 
she  descended.  She  found  Everest  already  seated 
between  her  two  sisters,  and  she  passed  over  to  a  far 
corner  of  the  room  to  a  low  chair  by  the  piano,  and 
sat  down  there.  She  thought  Everest  would  not  be 
the  man  she  felt  sure  he  was  if  he  could  stand  long  the 
united  conversational  powers  of  Jane  and  Violet  Mar- 
low. 


HOME  35 

Little  scraps  of  their  talk  came  over  to  her  and 
amused  her :  "  strips  of  flannel,"  "  had  to  keep  her 
bed  for  a  week,  and  mother  took  her  guava  j  elly  every 
day."  Regina  guessed  that  Everest  was  being  en- 
tertained with  an  account  of  some  of  Stossop's  sick 
poor. 

He  glanced  her  way  many  times,  and  she  fancied  a 
weary  look  grew  upon  his  face,  as  the  poor  continued 
very  sick,  and  Miss  Marlow's  methods  of  treating 
their  various  ailments  became  more  and  more  detailed. 
Neither  sister  allowed  the  conversation  to  pause  for  a 
moment,  and  when  one  showed  signs  of  failing  the 
other  took  it  up  with  commendable  energy.  But  few 
things  in  this  world  prevented  Everest  from  doing 
what  he  wanted  to  do,  and  certainly  two  country  girls 
talking  to  him  was  not  one  of  them.  He  wanted  to 
approach  Regina  and  speak  to  her,  and  as  he  found 
the  sisters  would  not  stop  their  chatter  he  rose  in 
the  middle  of  it. 

"  I  want  to  speak  to  your  sister  for  a  moment,"  he 
said  merely,  and  left  them,  crossing  the  room  to  where 
Regina  sat,  and  drawing  an  easy-chair  close  to  hers. 
She  looked  up,  and  the  same  enthusiastic  welcome 
shone  in  her  eyes  as  on  his  presentation. 

"  What  were  you  doing  all  day  ?  "  he  asked,  letting 
his  eyes  rest  on  the  youthful  fairness  of  the  throat, 
where  the  pearls  gleamed  in  the  lamplight.  He  felt 
quite  confident  he  would  not  be  bored  with  the  Stos- 
sop  poor  in  this  quarter. 

"  I  went  to  church  in  the  morning,  which  I  hate, 
and  which  always  makes  me  realise  what  wretched 
things  all  these  religions  are.  Then  after  lunch  I  lay 
for  quite  a  long  time  in  the  garden,  gazing  at  the  white 


36         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

nimbi  in  the  sky.  That  helps  a  little  to  counteract 
the  effect  of  the  church  service.  Then  I  walked  to 
the  sea,  and  visited  a  rose  garden  there.  It  is  per- 
fectly beautiful  —  it  has  a  magic  I  cannot  explain ; 
you  must  come  and  see  it  yourself.  I  looked  over  all 
the  roses,  and  then  I  sat  down  and  read  till  the  sunset 
came  and  disturbed  me.  I  had  to  look  at  that,  and 
then  I  walked  home  to  dress  for  dinner." 

She  spoke  lightly,  easily,  her  warm,  ardent 
gaze  on  his  face,  her  soft  lips  smiling.  Her  tones 
were  like  music.  Her  way  of  talking  quite  different 
from  the  heavy,  assiduous  speechifying  of  her  sisters. 

"  What  were  you  reading?  "  he  asked,  his  eyes 
fixed  on  the  brilliant,  changing,  responsive  counte- 
nance. 

"  I  was  finishing  the  Cyclops:  it  is  not  a  good  play, 
but  I  have  read  all  Euripides  except  that,  and  I 
wanted  to  complete  him." 

She  spoke  quite  simply,  and  without  any  affecta- 
tion or  desire  to  impress  him.  Things  one  does  one- 
self rarely  seem  very  great  accomplishments  to 
oneself,  and  Regina  had  read  Greek  for  so  long  that  a 
new  play  seemed  no  more  than  a  new  novel  to  her. 

"  Do  you  read  it  in  the  original?  "  Everest  asked, 
raising  the  dark  arches  of  his  brows,  and  to  the  girl, 
as  she  met  his  admiring  gaze  from  under  them,  it 
seemed  as  if  he  were  lifting  her  heart  out  of  her  bosom 
with  them. 

She  laughed.  "  Yes,  I  don't  like  translations  at 
all.  Ever  since  I  saw  that  Byron  had  translated 
Catullus'  Ode  to  Juventus  as  an  Ode  to  '  Eleanor '  I 
have  fled  from  all  of  them." 

"  You  seem  to  be  tremendously  clever ! " 


HOME  87 

"  Am  I?  "  she  asked,  smiling  up  at  him.  "  I  am  so 
glad  you  think  so.  I  am  very  fond  of  learning  and 
all  the  arts.  Are  you?  Painting,  music,  poetry, 
sculpture.  They  are  the  soul  of  life,  I  think.  What 
should  we  do  without  them?  Think  if  we  had  only  in 
life  the  Church,  dusters  and  the  poor ! " 

Everest  laughed,  and  so  did  she.  "  It  does  sound 
an  awful  combination !  Yes,  I  think  with  you  art  is 
the  one  thing  that  brings  a  little  heaven  on  earth.  It 
is  the  only  true  religion,  the  only  true  elevator  of  that 
poor  wretch  —  man.  I  am  never  so  happy,  and  I 
never  feel  so  good  and  so  charitable,  as  when  I  am 
painting." 

"  Do  you  paint  ?  "  asked  Regina,  with  a  fiery  in- 
terest in  her  glowing  eyes.  "  So  do  I.  What  are 
your  subjects,  and  what  do  you  paint  in?  —  water 
colours  or  oil?  " 

"  Oils.  I  do  anything  that  catches  my  fancy  —  a 
head,  a  figure,  a  landscape,  anything  that  is  a  little 
unusual.  I  hate  the  commonplace." 

"  In  Africa  I  suppose  you  found  so  many  subjects 
that  were  unusual :  tropical  trees  and  wonderful  plants 
and  beautiful  black  women." 

Everest  looked  back  at  the  delicately  coloured  face, 
of  which  her  interest  and  excitement  made  the  skin 
glow  more  transparently  every  minute. 

"  You  have  great  intuition  to  feel  that  the  women 
are  beautiful,"  he  answered;  "most  people  just 
group  them  all  together  under  the  name  of  blacks, 
and  are  so  blind  mentally  and  physically  as  not  to  be 
able  to  see  their  beauty.  There  is  a  race  in  the  Sou- 
dan, of  which  the  beauty  could  not  be  surpassed. 
The  colour  is  coal-black,  but  form  and  line  are  pery 


38         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

feet,  both  in  face  and  body.  Then  another  race  has 
absolutely  perfect  forms,  though  the  face  is  of  the 
negro  type.  Never  anywhere  else  could  one  see  more 
gloriously  modelled  shoulders  and  arms  than  those 
women  have." 

At  that  moment  the  footman  brought  in  coffee,  and 
while  they  were  taking  it  the  Rector  came  up,  and 
the  talk  became  general. 

Soon  after  Everest  rose,  with  the  excuse  that  he 
must  not  disturb  their  early  country  hours,  and  said 
"  Good-night."  Regina,  watching  him  as  he  got  up 
and  stood,  felt  an  electric  wave  of  pleasure  pass 
through  her  from  head  to  foot.  The  well-cut  and 
fitting  evening  clothes  displayed  all  the  admirable 
lines  of  his  figure.  The  slimness  and  the  grace  of  it 
were  a  revelation  to  her.  The  light  from  the  centre 
swinging  lamp,  falling  on  the  pale  well-bred  face, 
showed  its  perfection  of  carving,  its  look  of  power 
and  intellect.  As  he  said  good-night  to  her,  she  gazed 
upon  him,  wide-eyed  and  in  silence,  and  Everest, 
reading  her  thoughts,  felt  amused  and  pleased. 

When  he  reached  his  rooms  he  turned  the  key  in  the 
lock  and  then  threw  himself  into  the  arm-chair  by  the 
open  window.  The  soft  air  of  the  June  night  came  in, 
full  of  fragrance,  from  the  Rectory  garden.  In  the 
copse  beyond,  the  nightingales  here  and  there  burst 
into  little  trills  and  long  calls,  and  then  were  silent 
again,  preparing  for  their  unbroken,  tireless  melody 
of  the  later  hours.  Everest  sat  very  still  in  his  chair, 
one  hand  hanging  idly  over  its  arm,  his  even  brows 
contracted,  thinking.  Before  coming  down  to  the 
Rectory  he  had  made  up  his  mind  very  decidedly  that 
he  would  not  allow  this  visit  to  draw  him  into  any; 


HOME  39 

complicated  ties  with  the  daughters  of  the  house. 
Marriage  was  far  from  his  wishes  or  plans  at  that 
moment,  and  any  relations  with  anybody  almost 
equally  distasteful,  since  they  would  rob  him  of  that 
peace  of  mind  and  rest  which  his  doctor  had  told  him 
were  essential,  and  which  he  had  come  to  the  country 
rectory  to  find.  He  had  heard  that  the  Misses  Mar- 
low  were  handsome  girls  of  the  ordinary  type,  and  the 
ordinary  type,  he  knew,  had  no  attraction  for  him. 
Certainly  after  the  conversation  of  the  evening,  he 
was  convinced  of  his  perfect  safety  with  either  Jane 
or  Violet.  But  Regina;  at  the  first  meeting  of  the 
eyes,  at  the  sight  of  that  sweet  enthusiasm  of  ad- 
miring welcome  in  hers,  at  the  touch  of  her  hand,  full 
of  electric  fire,  he  had  realised  instantly  that  there 
was  every  danger  here.  And  so  strongly  did  this 
feeling  envelop  him  again  when  they  said  good-night 
that  he  felt  inclined,  now,  to  summon  his  valet,  and 
tell  him  to  repack  everything  for  a  return  journey 
on  the  morrow.  But  the  thought  of  the  surprise,  the 
disappointment,  the  hurt  feeling  he  would  occasion 
checked  him. 

His  gaze  wandered  round  his  apartment.  His 
quick  eyes  told  him  at  once  how  much  personal  care 
and  pains  had  been  bestowed  on  the  room,  to  give  it 
the  particular  air  of  welcoming  comfort  it  possessed. 

It  was  not  the  hands  of  servants  that  had  looped 
up  so  gracefully  with  bows  of  lilac  ribbon  the  curtains 
of  his  bed,  nor  arranged  all  those  books  of  reference 
and  the  latest  weekly  papers  on  his  writing-table. 

He  took  up  idly  the  silver  pen,  put  ready  in  the  ink- 
stand tray,  and  saw  it  had  "  Violet "  engraved  upon 
it,  and  a  handsome  leather  blotting-book,  filled  with 


40         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

every  writing  necessity,  even  to  stamps  of  many  de- 
nominations, bore  its  owner's  monogram,  "  J.  M." 

These  things  spoke  to  him,  though  many  men  might 
not  have  even  noticed  them,  and  many  others  only 
noticed  them  to  jeer.  How  kindly  old  John  Marlow 
had  received  him ;  and  his  wife  —  what  pains  she  had 
taken  probably  in  thinking  out  that  excellent  dinner 
they  had  given  him,  and  the  girls  were  all  so  pretty 
and  fresh  and  eager  to  please. 

It  would  go  against  the  grain  of  Everest's  nature 
to  wound  them  all  by  suddenly  leaving.  Whatever 
excuses  he  made,  they  would  still  believe  his  departure 
was  due  to  some  error  of  their  own.  But  an  intuitive 
voice  within  him  warned  him  that  if  the  Devon  coast 
was  just  the  place  to  eradicate  the  traces  of  African 
fever,  from  which  he  was  suffering,  Stossop  Rectory 
and  Regina  were  not  the  best  adjuncts  to  it. 

As  he  sat  there,  undecided,  in  the  silence,  the  soft 
sound  of  a  casement  above  his  own  being  set  open 
came  to  him,  and  without  any  particular  intent  or 
reason  in  his  mind  he  rose  and  went  to  his  own  window 
and  looked  out.  The  moon  had  just  climbed  above 
the  copse,  and  sent  a  warm,  pale  light  across  the  sleep- 
ing garden.  Everest  looked  up,  and  there  above  him 
was  the  girl  who  was  in  his  thoughts.  She  had  opened 
her  window,  apparently  to  look  at  the  night,  for  her 
face  was  turned  towards  the  rising  moon,  and,  quite 
unconscious,  seemingly,  of  any  spectator,  she  leaned  a 
little  forward.  Of  her  face  Everest  could  see  nothing 
except  the  under  part  of  her  chin,  but  the  light  fell 
full  on  the  round  column  of  her  neck,  upon  the  white 
expanse  of  her  bosom,  upon  the  perfect  arms  support- 
ing heij  as  her  hands  clasped  the  sill.  Its  pale  radi- 


HOME  41 

ance  invested  the  dazzling  whiteness  of  the  skin  with 
a  peculiar  and  mystic  brilliance,  and,  accustomed 
though  he  was  to  women's  beauty  in  any  and  every 
form,  Everest  drew  in  his  breath  sharply  with  sur- 
prised admiration.  She  had  taken  off  her  evening 
dress,  and  the  low  bodice  she  now  wore  possessed  only 
two  narrow  straps  holding  it  to  the  shoulders,  and 
passed  below  the  snowy  swell  of  the  breast,  leaving  it 
and  the  soft  modelling  of  the  arms  and  shoulders  all 
revealed.  Yet  the  silver  light,  falling  down  and  over 
and  round  her,  seemed  to  clothe  her  in  shining  ar- 
mour. To  any  man,  even  to  the  most  material,  it 
must  have  seemed  a  vision  more  of  heaven  than  of 
earth,  and  to  Everest,  with  his  artist's  eye  and  mind, 
the  sight  had  a  magic  and  a  charm  he  could  hardly 
define  to  himself.  Silent,  almost  breathless,  he  stood 
watching  her,  as  silent  and  absorbed  she  herself  stood 
watching  the  moon  slowly  mount  in  the  purple  sky. 
Then  suddenly  she  turned  her  head  and  looked 
down,  why,  Everest  could  not  tell,  since  he  had  made 
no  sound.  For  one  instant  their  eyes  met.  He  saw 
the  beautiful  arms  bend  at  the  elbows,  with  the  change 
of  position;  the  face,  a  dark  oval  now,  as  it  turned 
downwards,  hung  over  his;  he  saw  the  silver  light 
illuminate  all  the  masses  of  the  fair  hair  round  it, 
for  one  second,  that  leapt  by  him  into  eternity  all 
too  quickly ;  then  she  vanished  noiselessly.  The  case- 
ment remained  open,  but  the  light  fell  now  only  on  its 
glittering  panes.  For  a  long  time  the  man  waited  by 
the  window,  his  heart  beating  hard,  but  she  did  not 
come  back,  and  at  last  he  turned  away  to  his  room 
and  commenced  his  undressing.  The  nightingales, 
perfectly  attuned,  now  began  to  pour  out  in  the  still- 


42         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

ness  the  raptures  of  their  song.  Everest's  face  was 
dark  as  he  moved  about  the  room. 

All  resolve,  all  desire  to  go  on  the  morrow  had 
left  him.  A  new  and  a  stronger  one  was  waking  in 
his  veins. 

He  turned  down  the  lamp  burning  beneath  its 
pretty,  rose-coloured  shade  and  got  into  the  bed,  so 
carefully  prepared  for  him,  with  lace-edged  sheet 
and  silken  coverings. 

As  he  laid  his  head  down  on  the  pillow  trimmed  by 
Miss  Marlow's  own  hands  a  murmur  passed  his  lips: 

"  Well,  I'll  stay,  and  risk  it." 


CHAPTER  II 


THE  next  morning  Everest,  after  a  troubled  and  rest- 
less night,  found  himself  the  first  in  the  breakfast- 
room,  and  when  the  door  opened  it  was  Regina  who 
came  in.  She  was  dressed  in  a  morning  cotton  of 
rose-colour,  and  either  by  contrast  to  that,  or  from 
emotion,  her  face  looked  pale  as  their  eyes  met  and 
he  took  her  hand  in  his. 

"  You  were  all  in  silver  armour  last  night  when  I 
saw  you,"  he  said  gently,  "  like  an  image  of  Diana," 
The  colour  came  then  in  soft  waves  to  her  cheeks  and 
beat  there;  her  gaze  seemed  locked  in  his  and  could 
not  get  away. 

"  Diana  was  a  horrid  and  cruel  divinity,  I  like  her 
least  of  any  of  them;  Venus  was  kinder,"  she  mur- 
mured. 

"  Well,  you  must  be  Venus  to  me,"  returned  Ever- 
est, smiling  down  upon  her;  his  face  had  a  gentle, 
tender  expression,  the  tones  of  his  voice  were  very 
soft,  and  the  girl's  heart  beat  to  suffocation  as  she 
heard  them. 

She  could  not  answer.  Just  then  the  door  opened 
and  the  Rector,  with  the  entire  family  group  behind 
him,  appeared  in  the  doorway.  Everest  and  Re- 
gina moved  a  little  apart,  their  hands,  which  had  re- 
mained in  each  other's,  fell  to  their  sides.  Everest 

moved  forward  to  greet  his  host. 

43 


44         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

"  Glad  to  see  you  are  an  early  riser,"  remarked 
the  Rector  genially.  "  Did  you  sleep  well?  " 

"  No,  I  can't  say  I  did,  there  are  so  many  disturb- 
ing influences  in  the  country:  nightingales  and 
church  clocks  and  all  sorts  of  things;  then  when  I 
did  go  to  sleep  I  dreamt,  which  I  never  do  in  town." 

"  What  did  you  dream  about?  "  asked  Jane  Mar- 
low.  She  looked  very  pretty  this  morning  in  a  fresh 
white  cambric,  with  a  green  ribbon  round  her  slim 
throat. 

"  Of  silver  images,"  replied  Everest,  and  his  eyes 
went  to  Regina,  who  stood  by  her  place  at  the  table. 
She  looked  down  as  she  heard  these  words ;  a  tremor 
went  through  her  whole  frame. 

"  How  funny  dreams  are,  they  never  seem  to  cor- 
respond to  anything  one  has  seen  or  done  in  the  day, 
do  they  ? "  replied  Jane,  and  Everest  answered 
calmly,  "  Hardly  ever." 

The  coffee  was  brought  in  and  they  all  closed  round 
the  table  while  the  Rector  began  to  say  grace. 

Breakfast  was  generally  a  most  unpleasant  meal  at 
the  Rectory.  From  the  last  word  of  the  long  grace 
at  the  beginning,  to  the  first  word  of  the  long  grace 
at  the  end,  it  was  a  series  of  surly,  grumbling 
wrangles,  in  which  everyone  showed  their  early-morn- 
ing ill-humour  to  the  utmost.  Mrs.  Marlow,  accord- 
ing to  the  Rector,  had  always  done  something  wrong : 
either  she  was  late,  or  she  had  had  the  coffee  made 
too  weak,  or  too  strong,  or  the  housemaid  had  not 
called  him  early  enough,  or  too  early,  or  his  bath  was 
cold.  Mrs.  Marlow  generally  argued  out  the  re- 
spective points,  until  she  was  clearly  proved  in  the 
right,  or  at  least  her  husband  was  reduced  to  an  ex- 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  45 

hausted  silence.  Then  the  two  sisters  had  various 
complaints  to  make,  or  else  the  continuation  of  some 
personal  quarrel  begun  upstairs  absorbed  them. 

Regina,  for  herself,  took  no  part  in  either  the 
grace  or  the  wrangling.  To  her  the  first  seemed 
rendered  ludicrous  by  the  Rector  gabbling  over  it,  in 
a  tremendous  hurry,  that  he  might  begin  abusing  his 
wife;  and  further,  if  the  Creator  gave  them  their 
breakfast,  He  presumably  gave  them  everything  else, 
and  of  His  gifts  she  would  not  certainly  have  picked 
out  this  detestable  breakfast  to  thank  Him  for.  She 
would  sooner  have  thanked  Him,  sitting  before  her 
easel  in  solitude :  "  For  what  I  am  about  to  paint," 
for  the  powers  He  had  given  her,  than  for  what  she 
was  about  to  eat  in  hostility  at  the  table. 

She  used  to  sit  quite  silent,  while  the  waves  of 
querulous,  complaining  or  angry  voices  rose  and  fell 
round  her,  and  when  she  had  finished  her  meal,  which 
she  naturally  did  long  before  the  others,  since  so 
much  disputing  takes  time,  she  would  sit  looking 
through  the  window,  watching  the  robins  at  their  sing- 
ing matches  on  the  lawn,  and  longing  to  be  away  with 
her  painting  or  music,  her  Latin  or  Greek,  or  in  the 
enchanted  garden,  out  of  earshot  at  least  of  her 
amiable  family  and  their  incessant  discussion  of  things 
that  to  her  view  mattered  so  little. 

She  wondered  to-day  how  the  meal  would  go,  be- 
cause she  believed  they  were  not  bad-mannered 
enough  to  quarrel  before  a  guest,  and  she  was  as- 
tonished to  find  that  the  conversation,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  was  kept  up  entirely  between  her  and  Ever- 
est. For  the  latter,  with  a  strenuous  resolve  to  ban 
the  sick  poor  at  breakfast,  steered  away  from  Miss 


46 

Marlow's  opening  remarks  on  almshouses,  and 
plunged  resolutely  into  the  heart  of  Africa,  con- 
tinuing the  conversation  with  Regina  which  had  been 
interrupted  last  night. 

Regina  had  read  much  on  Africa,  and  followed 
the  history  of  many  explorers  through  Uganda,  and 
wandered  with  many  authors  in  the  pigmy  forests 
and  by  the  Great  Lakes.  Consequently,  although 
she  made  some  mistakes,  she  had  a  good  general 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  and  her  eager  enthusiasm, 
her  perfect  attention,  her  quick  comprehension,  made 
her  a  naturally  good  and  easy  talker  on  any  sub- 
ject. 

As  the  rest  of  the  family  knew  absolutely  nothing 
about  Africa,  except,  as  regards  the  Rector,  that  it 
was  a  country  "  full  of  black  heathen,"  as  regards 
the  mother,  "  that  it  was  a  swampy,  unhealthy  place, 
where  there  were  snakes  and  one  got  fever  and 
things,"  and  as  regards  the  sisters,  that  it  was  one 
of  the  places  where  "  missions  were  sent  to  canni- 
bals," they  remained  out  of  the  conversation  and  sat 
silent,  listening  in  wonder  to  the  brilliant  talk  flying 
across  the  table,  much  of  which  they  could  barely 
comprehend. 

After  breakfast,  when  they  had  all  risen,  the  Rec- 
tor claimed  Everest  to  go  with  him  to  see  his  model 
cottages,  recently  erected  in  the  village,  and  Everest, 
grateful  for  having  escaped  the  sick  poor  at  break- 
fast, felt  it  his  duty  to  put  up  with  some  poor  now, 
since  his  host  wished  it,  and  consented  pleasantly. 

"  What  are  we  going  to  do  this  afternoon?  "  he 
asked. 

He  put  the  question  in  a  general  way,  but  his  eyes 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT          47 

sought  Regina,  who  turned  hers  aside  with  a  singing 
gladness  in  her  heart. 

Miss  Marlow  answered  him: 

"  We  are  going  to  drive  you  over  to  Lady  Dela- 
mere's  for  tea  —  we  start  from  here  about  three." 

"  I'll  j  oin  you  outside,  Everest,"  called  the  Rec- 
tor from  the  door.  "  I  have  to  look  into  my  study 
for  half-a-minute." 

Everest  nodded  and  went  up  to  his  own  room  for 
his  hat.  Coming  down  he  met  Regina  alone,  on  the 
stairs,  and  paused. 

"  You  are  coming  this  afternoon  ?  "  he  asked. 

She  was  by  a  long  window,  through  which  the  sun 
fell  on  her.  Her  face  looked  just  like  a  rose,  in  its 
pink  and  white  colour,  as  she  lifted  it  towards  him, 
standing  two  or  three  steps  above  her. 

"  No,"  she  answered,  smiling,  "  mother  and  Jane 
and  Violet  are  going,  and  the  carriage  holds  only 
four  comfortably." 

"You  and  I  could  walk?"  suggested  Everest 
promptly. 

Regina  laughed  outright  as  the  picture  of  her  sis- 
ters' faces  came  before  her,  as  they  would  look  if, 
when  the  carriage  was  starting,  Everest  left  his  seat 
to  walk  with  her. 

"  Oh,  no,"  she  said ;  "  we  could  not  do  that.  My 
sisters  have  set  their  hearts  on  taking  you  with 
them  to  the  DelameresV 

"  Well,  where  are  you  going  then  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  shall  go,  I  think,  to  the  enchanted  garden  —  it 
is  such  a  lovely  day." 

"  How  nice  that  sounds  !  The  enchanted  garden ! 
I  wish  I  were  coming  there  too." 


'48         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

"  Why  do  you  wish  it?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  One  cannot  always  trace  the  birth 
and  growth  of  one's  desires."  Regina  gazed  at  him 
as  he  stood  there,  one  hand  on  the  banister  rail,  think- 
ing how  truly  wonderful  he  was  in  his  difference  from 
all  the  other  men  she  had  ever  seen.  The  crowded 
country  church  on  Sundays,  what  a  mass  of  more  or 
less  ungainly,  shambling,  shuffling  figures  it  contained, 
representatives  of  the  middle-aged  or  old  inhabitants ; 
and  the  young  men  seen  on  the  cricket  and  football 
ground,  how  fat  and  round  and  stodgy  they  looked, 
or  else  how  thin  and  weedy,  leaning  over,  as  it  were, 
the  hollow  of  their  own  chests ! 

But  here  in  Everest's  case  how  all  was  changed! 
It  was  difficult  to  say  whether  the  strength  or  grace 
of  his  figure  left  the  greater  impression  on  the  eye, 
so  perfectly  were  the  two  united  in  it.  It  was  a  form 
beautifully  planned  out  by  Nature,  which  the  cease- 
less activity  of  its  owner  had  enhanced.  It  suggested 
potential  energy;  the  balance  and  the  poise  of  it, 
whether  in  action  or  repose,  were  always  perfect. 
It  had  that  curious  symmetry,  that  look  of  its  per- 
fect adaptability  to  every  possible  movement,  that 
one  sees  in  the  wild  animal  while  at  the  height  of  its 
beauty  and  power.  To  Regina's  mind  came,  as  she 
looked  at  him,  the  thought  of  the  slim  and  graceful 
fox,  treading  deftly  with  its  sure,  trim  feet  the  edge 
of  the  covert,  with  all  that  tremendous  power  of  swift, 
enduring  speed  locked  in  its  beautiful,  sinuous  body. 
And  again  the  red  deer  of  Exmoor  occurred  to  her, 
with  their  splendid  carriage,  their  proud  beauty  of 
line,  their  clean-cut  elegance  of  form. 

Everest  was  forty-six,  but  so  lightly  had  the  feet 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  49 

of  the  years  touched  him  in  their  flight  over  him  that 
he  looked  hardly  more  than  twenty-eight  or  twenty- 
nine.  His  hair  had  not  a  single  white  strand  in  it, 
nor  had  the  dark  moustache  that  flowed  in  a  straight 
line  across  his  face,  not  pulled  downwards  nor  twisted 
up,  and  of  which  some  of  the  threads  glowed  with  a 
red-gold  sheen  on  their  blackness,  if  the  sun  struck 
across  them.  Very  few  lines  marked  the  clear,  warm 
tan  of  the  skin;  the  teeth  were  even,  perfect,  un- 
touched by  dentistry.  Life  and  experience  had 
added  power  and  intellect  to  the  face,  had  deepened 
the  mental  charm  without,  as  yet,  taking  from  its 
physical  beauty.  Out  of  the  beautiful  youth  he  had 
been  at  eighteen,  Nature  had  built  up  through  all 
these  years  one  of  her  masterpieces,  and  it  seemed 
that  she  was  so  pleased  with  it,  now  that  it  had 
reached  its  perfection,  that  even  she,  fidget  though 
she  is,  always  doing  and  undoing,  was  loath  to  begin 
her  task  of  pulling  it  all  to  pieces. 

Regina  gazed  and  gazed  upon  him  in  silence  that 
was  thrilled  through  and  through  with  joy,  for  to 
the  artist  there  is  no  delight  more  keen  than  looking 
on  what  is  beautiful  and  perfect,  and  Everest  asked 
her  with  a  little  smile  of  what  she  was  thinking. 

"  Of  an  Exmoor  deer  that  I  saw  standing,  once, 
on  a  little  tor  at  sunrise,  surveying  the  sleeping 
moor,"  she  said  slowly  and  in  a  low  tone,  and  then 
went  on  up  the  stairs,  as  she  heard  doors  shutting, 
and  steps  approaching  from  below. 

Everest  passed  on  down.  The  beautiful  imagery 
of  her  words  won  his  quick,  artistic  sense,  and,  little 
conceited  as  he  was,  the  flattery  from  the  fresh,  girl- 
ish lips  pleased  him.  He  went  on,  feeling  well  able 


50         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

to  grapple  even  with  the  model  cottages  and  the 
sick  poor. 

Regina  in  her  room  could  do  nothing;  she  tried 
to  read,  but  she  only  heard  his  voice  speaking;  she 
turned  to  the  paintings,  but  she  hardly  saw  them :  his 
face  hung  before  her.  Finally  she  descended  to  the 
drawing-room  and  sought  to  play,  but  her  hands 
dropped  from  the  keyboard,  and  she  sat  silent,  gazing 
before  her. 

So,  she  remembered,  had  she  felt  once  before  in  her 
life,  when  Nature's  voice  first  called  to  her  to  leave 
her  dolls  and  playthings  and  begin  to  prepare  her- 
self for  her  life's  work. 

How  well  she  remembered  that  day,  when  first  the 
scales  of  childhood  had  fallen  from  her  eyes,  and  her 
dolls,  formerly  living  things,  had  been  seen  for  the 
first  time  as  they  were:  bits  of  rag  and  wood  and 
stone.  How  she  remembered  the  keen  wonder  she 
had  felt,  the  astonishment  that  she  could  play  no 
more! 

Then  had  come  the  period  of  fierce  intelligence, 
the  appetite  and  desire  for  work,  the  longing  to  know 
and  to  expand  the  brain.  For  since  Nature  has  made 
woman  to  be  not  only  the  mother  but  the  nurse  of 
thr  child,  and  it  is  the  mother's  brain  and  not  the 
father's  that  is  transmitted  to  the  child,  she  gives 
to  the  female,  with  the  first  development  of  sex,  this 
sharp  desire  for  knowledge,  for  learning,  for  mental 
endowment,  so  that  it  may  be  duly  passed  on  to 
the  offspring.  Hence  that  overwhelming  thirst  for 
mental  work,  for  study,  which  is  so  common  in  the 
developing  girl  for  these  few  years  in  her  life,  so  un- 
usual in  the  male,  who  rarely  learns,  except  for  ma- 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  51 

terial  and  worldly  considerations.  And  as  Nature's 
voice  had  peremptorily  called  her  from  her  playthings, 
and  forced  her  to  her  studies,  so  now,  her  time  for 
study  being  over,  Nature  again  summoned  her  to 
leave  her  accomplished  duties,  and  prepare  herself 
for  the  new  ones  in  store  for  her. 

Nature  was  strong  in  Regina;  she  was  its  child. 
The  cramped  artifices  of  civilisation  had  not  got  hold 
of  her  and  stifled  out  of  her  the  breath  of  Nature. 
So  after  a  time  she  abandoned  all  work,  finding  it 
impossible,  and  sat  gazing  out  of  the  window,  think- 
ing. 

At  luncheon,  Everest,  having  quite  made  up  his 
mind  as  to  his-  afternoon's  programme,  which  was  to 
include  other  items  besides  the  Delamere  call,  took 
comparatively  little  notice  of  Regina,  and  talked 
chiefly  to  the  Rector  on  model  cottages,  and  their 
morning's  inspection. 

The  Rector  delightedly  expounded  his  views,  which 
seemed  to  Everest  to  have  for  their  aim,  the  increas- 
ing dependence  of  the  poor  upon  the  rich,  the  incom- 
petent upon  the  capable,  the  weak  and  idle  upon  the 
strong  and  industrious,  and  the  undermining  of  what 
thrift  the  poor  possessed  by  removing  the  urgent 
necessity  for  it. 

The  model  cottages  were  to  be  practically  free, 
with  only  a  nominal  rent ;  old  people  were  to  be  kept 
by  the  parish;  sick  people  were  to  be  tended  gratis; 
young  people  were  to  be  encouraged  to  marry  early 
and  bring  into  the  world  large  families  for  their 
neighbours  to  keep;  chance  immorality  was  to  be 
avoided  at  all  costs,  and  punished  mercilessly;  large 
broods  of  infants,  no  matter  from  whut  drunken, 


52         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

vicious,  idle  parents,  were  to  be  favoured  and  cared 
for  out  of  the  money  of  the  honest  and  sober,  pro- 
vided only  the  brood  was  born  in  wedlock,  and  the 
father  and  mother  had  the  sanction  of  the  Church. 

Finally  he  gleefully  totted  up  the  subscriptions  he 
had  dragged  out  of  the  unwilling  hands  of  the  hard- 
working and  thrifty  portion  of  the  villagers,  for  his 
doors,  his  windows,  his  model  baths,  his  new  sinks, 
and  only  lamented  that  he  was  still  short  a  hundred 
pounds  for  finishing  the  hearths. 

Everest,  to  whom  this  exposition  of  views  had  been 
intensely  repellent,  felt  relieved  that  the  point  of  ask- 
ing for  charity,  up  to  which  he  felt  sure  the  Rector 
was  slowly  working,  had  been  reached  at  last,  and 
said  immediately: 

"  Oh,  well,  you  must  count  on  me  for  the  remaining 
hundred  for  the  fireplaces.  I  will  give  you  the 
cheque  after  luncheon." 

The  Rector  flushed  with  pleasure.  How  convinc- 
ing his  arguments  had  been  1 

"  My  dear  Everest,  it's  most  good  of  you.  I  as- 
sure you  it  will  take  a  load  off  my  mind.  I  really 
feel  ashamed  to  go  and  beg  any  more  from  my  pa- 
rishioners, though  I  must  say,  hard  pressed  for  money 
as  they  are,  and  hard  as  they  have  to  work  for  it, 
they  seldom  refuse  me." 

Regina,  sitting  opposite  them  both,  and  watching 
the  pale,  severe  gravity  that  had  come  over  the  hand- 
some countenance,  knew  that  Everest  was  giving 
that  hundred,  not  because  he  cared  whether  the  very 
unmodel  cottagers  in  their  model  cottages  had  hearths 
or  not,  nor  whether  the  tribes  of  sickly  infants  that 
they  had  no  right  to  bring  into  the  world  at  all. 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  53 

since  they  could  not  keep  them,  were  warmed  by  his 
fires  or  not,  but  simply  because  it  was  Regina's  father 
who  asked  him,  and  because  Regina  herself  sat  op- 
posite him,  and  another  link  was  looped  up  in  that 
golden  chain  that  was  slowly  forging  in  life's  fur- 
nace to  bind  her  to  him. 

"All  the  same  you  know  I  don't  think  you  are 
right,  John,"  Everest  answered  easily,  in  his  light, 
polished  tones.  "  You  think  you  are  alleviating  pov- 
erty, but  in  reality  you  are  creating  it.  The  dread 
of  dying  in  the  workhouse  when  they  are  old  is  the 
only  stimulus  to  a  great  many  to  work  at  all  while 
they  are  young;  take  that  away,  and  put  old  vaga- 
bonds in  free  model  cottages,  what  inducement  do 
you  give  to  the  young  vagabond  to  work  ?  And  what 
reward  hava  you  for  the  honest,  sober  hard  worker 
if  you  take  his  savings  to  help  keep  his  idle  and 
drunken  brother?  It  seems  to  me  you  actually  put 
a  premium  on  idleness  and  vice,  and  rob  honesty 
and  virtue  to  do  it.  Then  as  regards  your  idea  of 
morality,  I  think  that  the  poor,  hard-working,  healthy 
girl,  who,  without  marriage,  brings  one  healthy  child 
into  the  world,  and  works  all  her  life  to  keep  it,  as 
many  of  them  do,  is  a  less  deadly  enemy  to  society 
than  those  wretched,  improvident  couples  who  rush 
into  marriage  and  keep  producing  more  and  more 
unfit  humanity,  for  which  there  is  no  use,  and  which 
other  people  at  their  own  self-sacrifice  have  to  sup- 
port." 

The  Rector's  large  face  gradually  grew  purple  as 
he  listened;  he  was  a  very  heavy  eater  and  drinker, 
and  all  his  superabundant  blood  went  up  to  his  head 
in  boiling  wrath  if  anyone  attacked  his  particular  and 


34         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

exceedingly  narrow  outlook  upon  sexual  subjects. 
Here,  he  had  to  choke  down  his  feelings  as  best  he 
could,  for  he  would  not,  on  any  account,  quarrel  with 
Everest.  Moreover  the  cheque  was  promised  but  not 
yet  written.  He  cleared  his  throat  many  times,  and 
nervously  broke  up  the  toast  crusts  lying  at  his  left 
hand,  before  replying. 

"  I  know  your  views  are  peculiar,"  he  said  at  last ; 
"  they  were  at  Oxford ;  I  am  afraid  you  hardly  give 
due  importance  to  the  Sacraments  of  the  Church. 
Er  .  .  .  have  we  all  finished?  Then  let  us  say 
grace." 

Everest's  eyes  met  Regina' s  and  a  little  flash  passed 
between  them,  an  instant's  glance  that  was  very  dear 
to  them  both.  She  loved  him  for  every  word  he  had 
uttered,  and  Everest  knew  that  his  views  were  hers, 
by  the  glad  eager  look  on  her  face  as  she  listened  to 
him. 

He  knew  each  time  he  sat  down  to  the  table  that 
his  host  was  opposed  to  him  in  every  opinion,  and 
that  the  others  had  no  opinions  at  all.  It  was  only 
Regina,  with  her  quick,  active  mentality,  her  rapid 
perceptions,  that  was  with  him,  on  every  subject, 
and  somehow  the  knowledge  seemed  very  sweet  to 
him,  and  to  draw  them  very  closely  together. 

Luncheon  over,  the  elder  girls  went  up  to  change 
their  toilettes,  and  Everest  and  Regina  stepped 
through  the  long  windows  out  upon  the  lawn.  It 
was  a  wonderful  day.  After  a  cold  and  stormy 
spring,  summer  had  come  in  with  that  perfect  glory, 
that  golden  radiance,  that  rescue  England's  reputa- 
tion from  entire  ruin. 

The  sky,  of  the  palest,  most  delicate  blue,  showed 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  55 

tiny  dapplings  of  pearly  white  against  its  sapphire 
clearness;  all  the  air  seemed  dancing  with  a  golden 
sheen,  and  in  it  seemed  to  hang,  like  a  canopy,  the 
scent  of  flowers,  of  the  pink  and  white  snow  of  the 
May  not  yet  over,  of  the  laburnum  already  in  blos- 
som. 

"  What  a  heavenly  day !  "  Everest  exclaimed.  "  I 
wish  you  were  coming  with  us  this  afternoon." 

"  So  do  I,  as  you  are  going,"  she  answered,  look- 
ing up  at  him,  delighting  in  the  sensation  of  walking 
beside  him  and  seeing  that  dark  brilliant  face  above 
her.  "  But  I  know  my  sisters  will  like  it  best  as  it 
is.  I  shall  go  to  the  garden  and  think  about  you  in- 
stead." 

"Of  me?  A  poor  subject,  I  am  afraid.  You  were 
better  off  with  the  Cyclops" 

"  I  can't  get  interested  in  it  now.  Do  you  know, 
I  tried  everything  this  morning:  Greek  and  Latin 
and  painting,  and  I  tried  to  play ;  it  was  all  no  good. 
I  had  to  just  sit  still  and  think  about  you." 

Everest  looked  at  her,  but  she  met  his  gaze  quite 
openly  and  simply.  Her  eyes  were  innocent,  frank, 
ingenuous.  There  seemed  no  design  on  her  part  to 
flatter  him.  She  merely  appeared  to  feel  no  neces- 
sity for  concealing  what  she  thought.  She  admired 
him  and  said  so,  she  thought  about  him  and  said  so. 
That  was  all.  There  was  none  of  the  veiled  would- 
be  seduction  of  the  women  he  was  accustomed  to. 

Praise  and  adulation  so  absolutely  transparent,  so 
obviously  honest,  has  an  irresistible  power.  It  ceases 
to  be  flattery;  it  becomes  homage,  and  has  its  effect 
on  the  recipient,  as  incense  has  upon  the  senses. 

"  I  shall  be  sorry  if  my  coming  here  has  inter- 


56         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

rupted  your  work  and  lessened  your  powers,"  he 
answered,  and  his  voice  had  grown  suddenly  so  sad 
and  grave  that  Regina  exclaimed: 

"  Oh,  never  be  sorry  for  me  that  you  have  come ! 
If  you  knew  how  perfectly  happy  I  am.  Your  visit 
here  and  your  companionship  is  to  me  just  as  if  the 
sun  or  moon  had  come  down  to  walk  about  with  me." 

Everest  laughed  outright. 

"  Either  might  be  a  most  dangerous  companion, 
it  seems  to  me,"  he  answered,  and  Regina  laughed 
with  him. 

"  But  think  of  the  honour  and  the  experience,  the 
novelty,  the  j  oy  of  it !  It  would  be  well  worth  being 
burned  alive  for,  I  think !  " 

Everest  did  not  answer  for  a  moment.  His  laugh 
died  away,  and  she  thought  his  face  looked  pale  and 
grave  in  the  sunlight.  Just  then  the  Rector's  voice 
came  to  them  calling  Everest,  and  Regina  drew  away 
towards  the  copse. 

"  Good-bye,  then.  I  am  going  to  the  garden.  I 
hope  you  will  enjoy  your  afternoon."  And  as  he 
turned  back  to  his  host,  she  disappeared  in  the  soft 
green  shadows  of  the  wood. 

She  walked  quickly,  and  could  have  well  run  or 
danced,  she  felt  so  full  of  life  and  joy;  the  breeze 
was  soft,  it  came  to  her  cheek  like  a  caress.  The 
wood  seemed  full  of  music ;  small  birds  were  warbling 
in  it  everywhere  and  calling  to  each  other  across  the 
leafy  screen  of  green;  the  leaves  themselves  quivered 
and  rustled  and  murmured  in  the  warm  and  scented 
air. 

Regina  for  the  past  few  years  had  been  happy  in 
the  knowledge  of  her  youth  and  power  to  please,  and 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  57 

now  that  love  had  come  to  her  also,  it  seemed  as  if 
her  heart,  her  whole  system,  could  not  contain  her 
delight.  For  she  knew  within  herself  that  though 
nothing  had  been  said,  and  though  his  acquaintance 
with  her  could  be  measured  by  hours,  Everest  was 
going  to  love  her  just  as  the  doctor  and  the  mas- 
ter and  the  assistant  master  and  the  curate  had 
done.  There  was  the  same  curious  softening  of  all 
his  face  when  he  looked  at  her  as  she  had  seen  in 
theirs,  the  same  velvet  edge  to  his  tones  when  he  spoke 
to  her,  as  she  had  heard  from  them.  And  while  their 
love  was  useless  to  her,  because  she  could  not  return 
it,  for  this  man  she  felt  she  could,  and  was  ready  to 
feel  a  passionate  adoration,  to  pour  out  her  life  in 
love  for  him,  and  so  know  the  supreme  happiness 
that  Nature  holds  in  this  life  for  a  woman.  To  be 
loved  is  nothing,  to  love  is  something,  to  love  and 
be  loved  is  everything.  Critical  and  sensitive  about 
every  point  in  another,  as  she  was,  so  that  the  least 
deviation  from  her  standard  of  beauty  or  intellect 
would  have  spoiled  the  perfection  of  her  feeling,  she 
could  find  nothing  wanting  in  Everest;  in  all  her 
dearest  dreams  and  visions  no  ideal  had  ever  been  in- 
vested with  greater  charm  than  the  living  man  now 
had  for  her.  And  it  seemed  to  her  like  a  miracle 
in  her  favour  that,  of  all  the  men  that  might  have 
come  to  her  home,  he  had  been  the  one  to  do  so. 

To  be  merely  in  the  same  room  with  him,  to  see  and 
hear  him  talking  to  another,  to  study  him  as  he 
leant  back  in  an  arm-chair,  reading,  and  watch  the 
slender  brown  hand,  that  she  knew  had  such  power, 
hold  a  book  or  newspaper,  seemed  to  make  her  whole 
being  vibrate  with  delight ;  and  he  admired  her,  won- 


58         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

dered  at  her,  liked  to  match,  his  learning  and  his  tall* 
with  her,  was  interested  in,  sought  her;  soon,  she 
knew,  he  would  desire  and  love  her.  And  the  price 
of  it  all?  What  would  it  be?  Her  feet,  that  had 
been  dancing  so  merrily  over  the  green  moss,  stopped 
suddenly ;  a  trembling  seized  all  her  limbs  and  a  chill 
came  over  her  in  the  soft  sunny  air.  She  sank  on  an 
old  log,  by  the  winding  path,  both  hands  pressed  over 
her  heart  to  still  its  beating.  In  these  moments  she 
knew,  whatever  the  price,  she  must  pay  it. 

When  the  time  came  for  him  to  ask  anything  from 
her,  she  must  give  it.  She  knew  beforehand  she  could 
not  resist  him,  could  not  refuse  or  deny  to  this  man 
anything,  because  of  the  glorious  pleasure  of  the  giv- 
ing, pleasure  that  would  compensate  her  for  every- 
thing, for  life  itself,  if  won.  .  .  . 

She  was  very  pale  as  the  sat  there  and  shivered,  for 
love  is  absolutely  merciless  and  inexorable,  and  counts 
out  its  moments  of  supreme  delight  against  the  drops 
of  its  victim's  life-blood,  and  she  knew  this.  All  in 
a  moment,  in  the  midst  of  her  happy  triumph,  the 
thought  of  his  wealtn  and  position,  so  far  above  her 
own  in  its  powers  and  possibilities,  had  reared  itself 
up  in  her  mind,  like  a  great  wall  towering  over  her, 
menacing  to  crush  her.  She  hated  it;  it  separated 
him  from  her.  If  he  had  only  been  poor,  like  the 
young  master,  whv>  had  had  nothing  but  his  life, 
which  he  had  laid  down  at  her  feet!  How  perfect 
then  her  happiness  might  have  been!  The  meanest, 
commonest  existence,  shared  with  Everest,  would  have 
been  as  if  it  were  >frapped  in  cloth  of  gold  to  her. 
Tiny  rooms,  poor  living,  hard  working,  what  would 
she  have  cared?  Had  he  said:  "Marry  me  and 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  59 

come  to  a  lonely  tent  in  the  burning  Soudan,"  she 
would  have  said :  "  Yes,"  oh,  how  gladly !  As  she 
would  have  said  it  had  he  asked  her  to  marry  him 
and  share  a  prison,  or  hell  itself.  But  some  instinct 
told  her  that  Everest  would  not  want  to  marry  her, 
that  a  man  with  that  accumulated  wealth  and  vast 
inheritance  would  not  enter  marriage  merely  for  the 
sake  of  passion ;  that  he  would  need  other  conditions, 
which  she  vaguely  felt  she  did  not  fill. 

And  even  if  in  the  blindness  of  love  he  offered  it, 
would  it  be  her  part,  would  it  be  right  to  accept  it? 

Suppose  in  the  awakening,  after,  from  that  blind- 
ing dream  that  passion  is,  she  saw  that  he  regretted? 

How  it  would  rend  her,  heart  and  soul,  to  think 
that  she,  who  would  cast  down  her  life  like  a  mantle, 
for  him  to  walk  over,  did  he  wish  it,  had  brought  him 
a  burden  of  regret! 

The  thought  hurt  and  stung  her ;  it  bit  deeply  into 
her  brain.  She  rose  and  hurried  on  with  quick  steps 
to  the  garden,  as  if  seeking  its  protection  from  these 
thoughts,  that  pursued  her  like  living  things. 

Whatever  happened,  she  thought,  she  would  be  con- 
tent as  long  as  no  suffering  through  her  fell  on  him. 
Nothing  would  she  take,  nothing  would  she  accept 
from  him,  that  meant  loss  or  sacrifice  to  himself. 
On  that  she  was  quite  resolved. 

To  a  woman's  passion  is  always  added  the  wonder- 
ful instinct  of  maternal  love.  In  all  its  wildness,  in 
all  its  demands,  there  is  still  that  guiding,  underly- 
ing impulse  to  shield,  to  protect,  to  guard,  to  en- 
circle with  tender  care  the  man  she  loves,  and  in  Re- 
gina,  now  that  she  loved,  this  instinct  rose  to  its  full 
strength,  and  pervaded  all  her  heart  and  soul.  She 


60         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

herself  and  all  that  happened  to  her  was  of  no  mo- 
ment. At  all  costs  Everest  was  to  be  considered ;  his 
happiness  kept  safe  and  sacred  in  her  hands. 

Her  quick  walking  soon  brought  her  to  the  garden 
and  the  sea.  As  she  unlocked  the  gate  she  noticed 
how  the  summer  heat  of  the  last  twenty-four  hours 
had  called  the  laburnum  into  bloom.  The  whole 
garden  glowed  golden  with  it!  On  every  side  it 
gleamed  and  shone  like  amber  rain,  falling  amongst 
the  other  foliage.  Never  had  she  seen  it  look  so 
beautiful  in  its  contrast  with  the  pale  blue  of  the  sky, 
never  had  the  rich  yellow  tint  of  it  been  so  perfect. 
Rejoiced,  she  walked  round  all  the  narrow  winding 
paths.  She  longed  to  show  the  garden  to  Everest, 
and  it  seemed  as  if  it  had  arrayed  itself  in  its  most 
radiant  and  glorious  dress  in  honour  of  his  coming. 

The  standard  rose-trees  made  of  the  centre  a  mass 
of  vivid  colour;  the  May  was  all  in  bloom,  and  the 
wild  tamarisk  threw  up  against  the  azure  light  a  per- 
fect foam  of  pink  blossom.  The  perfumes  from  all 
the  different  flowering  plants  and  trees  floated  min- 
gling in  the  still  and  sheltered  air  like  the  strains  of 
melody,  wandering  through  and  interwoven  in  a  musi- 
cal harmony;  and  the  hum  of  the  happy  bees,  the 
call  of  the  nesting  birds,  the  coo  of  the  doves,  rose  and 
fell  sweetly  above  the  low  murmur  and  ripple  of  the 
sea.  Anxious  and  foreboding  thoughts  slipped  from 
her  mind;  as  always  here,  she  relapsed  joyously 
into  reflecting  simply  upon  Everest,  upon  his  per- 
sonality that  so  called  to  her  own,  upon  the  delight 
of  his  having  come  there,  and  all  that  wonder  and  rap- 
ture lying  hidden  in  the  heart  of  life  to  which  her 
eyes  were  being  opened. 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  61 

She  found  her  way  to  a  little  rustic  seat  beneath 
the  palm  at  last,  and  there  sat  down,  amongst  the 
maze  of  roses,  only  wanting  one  thing  to  complete  her 
happiness  —  his  presence  there. 

The  hot  hours  of  the  noonday  went  softly  past,  and 
the  day  hastened  to  array  itself  in  fresh  beauty  to 
meet  the  sunset;  the  light  began  to  deepen,  the  sky 
to  flush  with  rose,  the  air  to  grow  heavier  with  fra- 
grance. 

Those  birds  that  were  still  singing,  not  yet  ex- 
hausted by  their  nesting  cares,  gave  out  their  last 
floods  of  melody  before  the  approach  of  evening. 

Suddenly  as  she  sat  there  she  heard  a  step  on  the 
gravel,  and  started.  This  was  her  sacred  ground; 
no  one  had  a  right  to  come  there;  but  she  guessed 
whose  step  that  was,  firm  and  light  and  springing 
like  the  tread  of  a  deer. 

She  sprang  up,  her  heart  leaping  with  joy,  and 
through  the  drooping,  swaying  palm  branches  saw 
the  slim  figure  she  expected  approaching,  and  the 
light  falling  sideways  across  the  dark  and  handsome 
face. 

She  went  forward  to  meet  him,  making  no  effort 
to  conceal  the  joy  and  pleasure  shining  in  her 
eyes. 

"  How  lovely  this  is !  I  am  so  glad  you  have 
come !  How  did  you  get  in?  " 

"  By  the  gate." 

«  But  I  locked  it." 

Everest  laughed.  "  Locked  gates  are  nothing  to 
me.  I  jumped  over  it!  " 

"  How  splendid !  "  she  said,  gazing  at  him,  her  soft 
azure  eyes  full  of  admiration.  "That  high,  spike- 


62         THE  NIGHT  DP  TEMPTATION 

topped  gate !  I  wish  I  had  seen  you.  And  how  did 
you  get  here?  How  did  you  find  the  garden?  " 

"  I  walked  here  from  the  Delameres V 

"  Walked !     It's  fifteen  miles  to  their  house." 

"  Well,  what  is  fifteen  miles  ?  "  he  answered,  smil- 
ing down  into  her  upraised  face.  "  Nothing,  after 
fifty  miles  a  day  of  cross  country,  as  I  have  often  had 
to  do ;  and  as  to  finding  you,  in  comparison  with  the 
interior  of  Africa,  Stossop's  geography  is  pretty 
easy." 

"  How  wonderful  you  are,"  she  said  softly,  "  and 
I  arn  so  glad  you  are  here.  I  wanted  to  show  you  my 
garden.  What  do  you  think  of  it?  " 

"  It  is  a  beautiful  place.  It  seems  like  those  magic 
gardens  one  reads  of.  One  can't  believe  it's  just 
ordinary  England." 

"  It  is  perfect  to  me  now  you  are  here.  I  was  wish- 
ing so  much  for  you  to  come." 

"  It  must  have  been  that  which  drew  me  here  to 
you  —  darling." 

He  had  not  meant  to  use  that  word,  nor  any  en- 
dearing term,  but  it  passed  his  lips  almost  uncon- 
sciously; she  did  look  such  a  darling  in  her  pretty 
summer  dress,  with  her  fresh,  pink-tinted  face  all 
aglow  with  her  ardent,  enthusiastic  welcome  of  him- 
self. And  he  knew,  as  he  looked  at  the  lovely,  youth- 
ful form,  that  there  was  the  spirit  of  a  lioness  within. 
She  was  a  thing  of  life  and  light  and  fire ;  full  to  the 
brim,  like  himself,  of  ardent  energy  and  power. 
There  was  no  doll-like,  sawdust  body  here,  with 
brains  of  wool,  as  many  of  the  women  had  had  whom 
he  had  known,  lovely  though  their  outsides  had 
been. 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  63 

She  attracted  him  violently,  irrepressibly ;  there 
was  an  all-compelling  magnet  in  each  slender  finger, 
as  he  touched  her  hand. 

Nature  does  not  take  long  in  setting  up  her  won- 
drous all  but  unbreakable  current  of  electricity  when 
she  has  brought  together  two  individuals  suitable  to 
mate  with  each  other,  and  just  like  that  other  com- 
mon form  of  electricity  which  holds  the  hands  relent- 
lessly to  a  battery  so  that  their  owner  has  no  power 
to  lift  or  stir  a  finger,  so  does  this  other  magnetic 
current  sweep  round  its  two  captives,  binding  them 
together  without  will  or  power  to  move  asunder. 

At  the  word  "  darling  "  a  quiver  passed  over  Re- 
gina's  face  and  she  looked  away  as  if  she  had  not 
heard. 

It  is  the  part  of  virginity  to  flee  from  passion,  and 
instinctively  it  fulfils  its  part  as  long  as  passion  pur- 
sues. If  there  is  any  pause  in  the  chase,  virginity 
kindly  stops  and  waits,  till  passion  is  ready  to  take 
up  the  pursuit,  when  it  promptly  flies  again. 

So  Regina,  with  her  pulses  leaping  with  joy  and 
her  feet  on  air,  and  seeing  the  garden  about  her,  all 
transfigured  with  a  new  glory,  at  the  sound  of  that 
word  in  his  voice  looked  away  instinctively  and  seemed 
not  to  have  heard. 

They  walked  round  the  green  turf,  the  roses  nod- 
ding in  the  gently  moving  air  and  throwing  their  per- 
fume on  to  it,  under  the  thick  wild  unpruned  tamarisk, 
that  looked  like  the  softest  feathers  against  the  glow- 
ing sky,  under  the  swaying  palms  that  threw  shadow 
and  sunlight  alternatively  down  on  them,  and  then 
on  by  those  little  dark  green  winding  paths  where  the 
air  was  still  and  warm  and  dusk  laden  with  the  scent 


64         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

of  the  rose  and  the  vital  life-giving  salt  breath  of  the 
sea. 

They  spoke  a  little,  mostly  in  praise  of  the  beauty 
around  them,  or  of  the  doves  flying  in  circles  overhead, 
or  of  the  wild  calling  note  of  the  nightingale  that 
came  from  the  thickets,  and  both  were  intensely 
happy  in  the  beauty  and  proximity  of  the  other  and 
because  of  the  magic  steel-like  ring  that  nature  was 
drawing  tighter  and  tighter  round  them,  each  mo- 
ment forcing  them  towards  each  other. 

As  last,  before  them,  through  the  crossing  and  re- 
crossing  of  delicate  lines  of  branch  and  leaf,  they  saw 
the  gleam  of  purple  and  the  glitter  of  the  sea.  Re- 
gina  quickened  her  steps  a  little  and  reached  first  the 
porphyry  balustrade  and  leant  over  with  a  little  cry 
of  delight  as  her  eyes  caught  all  the  radiance  gather- 
ing in  the  western  sky  and  all  the  jewelled  light  flung 
on  the  opposite  coast,  where  peak  and  headland  lay 
in  lines  of  velvet  blue  under  a  golden  haze. 

"  Oh,  look  how  lovely  this  is,"  she  said,  as  Everest 
came  and  stood  beside  her.  "  I  have  a  painting  of  it 
that  I  did  on  an  evening  like  this.  I  should  like  to 
show  it  to  you." 

"  Did  you  paint  this  ?  "  he  said.  "  It  is  a  difficult 
subject.  What  a  lot  you  have  learnt  in  your  few 
short  years  of  life !  You  seem  to  know  so  much,  and 
then  to  be  only  eighteen ;  you  are  a  revelation  to  me." 

A  little  smile  played  over  her  face,  irradiated  by 
the  mellowing  light  as  she  looked  up  at  him. 

"  I  am  so  glad,"  she  said  simply.  "  I  should  like  to 
please  you.  To  me  you  are  the  most  wonderful, 
beautiful  and  perfect  person  I  have  ever  seen." 

"  Regina."     He  was  very  near  her  now,  one  arm 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  65 

came  round  her  shoulder.  Ah,  that  touch,  how  it 
moved  her,  the  first  touch  of  that  being  she  so  ad- 
mired, how  it  vibrated  through  her,  body  and  mind, 
from  head  to  foot.  She  recognised  the  strength  and 
force  of  the  arm,  jet  how  gentle  and  reverent  its  con- 
tact was  with  her  now.  How  strange  it  is  that 
amongst  a  hundred  men  who  might  touch  a  woman 
and  leave  her  wood  and  stone  to  them  there  is  per- 
haps just  one  whose  slightest  contact  may  give  her 
that  extreme  ecstasy ! 

She  did  not  move  from  him,  only  looked  up  with 
all  the  fires  of  the  sunset  in  her  eyes.  The  face  that 
she  would  have  chosen  out  of  all  the  world  hung  just 
above  her;  the  man  that  she  would  have  chosen  out 
of  all  the  world  was  there  beside  her,  seeking  her. 
She  had  no  other  thought  than  to  please  him,  to  yield 
to  his  empire.  At  any  cost,  at  any  sacrifice  of  her- 
self, at  the  price  of  her  lifev  if  necessary,  she  was 
dedicated,  consecrated  to  him ;  worship,  adoration  was 
in  her  face  and  in  her  heart  as  she  looked  up  at  him. 
It  is  the  spontaneous  impulse  in  all  virgin  love,  and 
those  women  who  have  not  felt  it  for  their  lovers  have 
missed  love's  soul. 

Everest  bent  down  and  kissed  her,  and  in  all  her 
after  years  Regina  could  never  recall  a  higher  pin- 
nacle of  joy  to  which  she  had  climbed  than  was 
reached  in  that  first  kiss.  The  very  purity  of  it,  the 
first  expression  of  her  whole  ardent,  unstained  soul, 
the  etherealised  emotions  of  awe  and  wonder  of  devo- 
tion that  went  through  it,  lifted  it  out  of  the  range 
of  earthly  things.  Regina's  kiss,  full  of  passionate 
enthusiasm  as  it  was,  was  still  like  the  burning  kiss  of 
the  young  nun  upon  her  rosary,  as  the  strains  of  the 


66         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

anthem  bear  away  her  soul  to  heaven.  Everest  un- 
derstood her  perfectly,  practised  as  he  was  in  these 
matters,  and  being  himself  of  that  sensitive  timbre 
that  made  him  respond  easily  to  and  comprehend 
every  grade  of  varying  emotion  in  another. 

People  had  called  him  dissipated  and  reckless,  sim- 
ply because  he  had  always  been  unconventional  and 
lived  according  to  the  laws  of  his  own  conscience 
instead  of  the  laws  of  the  world.  But  all  his  pleas- 
ures had  been  of  the  refined  and  delicate  order,  things 
of  the  mind  and  soul  as  well  as  the  body  —  the  pleas- 
ures of  the  wild  poetic  Celtic  nature  rather  than  of 
the  coarse  and  brutal  Saxon.  The  mere  wallowing 
of  the  body  in  physical  indulgence,  whether  of  drunk- 
enness, overeating,  or  other  vice,  was  unknown  to  him. 
The  excitable  brain,  the  refined  and  sensitive  mind, 
in  his  case  must  be  charmed  and  captured  before 
pleasure  could  begin. 

It  was  to  these  that  Regina  in  her  innocent  and 
unveiled  admiration  so  appealed,  and  his  touch  was 
very  tender  and  gentle  as  he  drew  her  wholly  into 
his  arms  up  against  his  breast,  and  the  girl  yielded, 
silent,  submerged  in  that  overwhelming  first  delight 
of  love,  that  no  after  one  can  wholly  surpass.  So 
they  stood  for  a  few  minutes  in  the  light,  both  feel- 
ing the  happiness  of  the  world  was  absolutely  com- 
plete. 

Then  the  man  relaxed  his  clasp  suddenly  and  put 
her  away  from  his  arms  in  the  same  decisive  way  he 
had  drawn  her  into  them.  His  face  was  very  pale 
and  set  as  he  turned  from  her  and  leaned  over  the 
balustrade,  looking  away  to  the  gorgeous  fires  of  the 
west. 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  67 

Regina  stood  quite  silent,  passive,  shaken  with 
happiness,  voiceless. 

He  had  put  her  away  from  him,  swept  over  by  some 
feeling  she  did  not  understand,  but  she  yielded  to 
that  as  obediently  as  when  he  had  drawn  her  to  him. 
It  was  a  delight  to  watch  him,  and  her  fascinated 
eyes  strayed  over  him  as  he  leant  beside  her;  and 
behind  him,  growing  deeper  and  fiercer  every  mo- 
ment, burned  the  red  flare  of  the  sunset. 

After  a  long  silence,  in  which  Regina  had  studied 
the  fine  outline  of  his  head  and  neck,  the  small  ear, 
the  dear  arm  in  the  light  grey  sleeve,  the  fine  linen 
of  the  cuff  enclosing  the  smooth  and  supple  wrist, 
he  said: 

"  I  should  be  so  interested  in  your  paintings,  when 
may  I  see  them  ?  " 

"  It  is  rather  difficult,"  she  answered,  in  a  low 
tone.  "  I  don't  think  my  people  would  like  me  to 
bring  them  to  the  drawing-room,  they  don't  really 
care  about  any  of  those  things." 

There  was  a  pause  for  a  moment,  then  he  said,  turn- 
ing to  her : 

"  Would  you  like  to  bring  them  to  my  sitting-room 
after  dinner,  some  time  when  the  others  are  gone  to 
bed?" 

"  Yes,  I  could  do  that,"  she  answered  simply.  He 
saw  she  was  thinking  at  the  moment  qnly  of  her  work, 
and  the  unconventionality  of  such  a  visit  did  not 
oppress  her,  was  not  even  near  her  mind. 

"  We  must  go  now,"  she  said  regretfully,  "  or  we 
shall  be  late.  I  think,"  she  added  slowly,  "  we  had 
better  not  go  back  together.  Will  you  go  home  and 
I  will  follow  by  the  short  cut  to  the  house.  M^  sis- 


68         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

ters  know  that  I  spend  a  great  deal  of  my  time  here, 
but  they  would  not  like  it  if  they  thought  that  you 
came.  They  would  want  to  come  here  too,  and  then 
all  the  peace  and  beauty  I  enjoy  would  be  spoiled. 
Do  you  see?  " 

"  Perfectly,"  said  Everest,  smiling,  as  they  turned 
from  the  sea  to  the  scented  shades  of  the  garden. 

"  This  place  has  always  been  for  you  alone  and 
now  it  is  to  be  for  us  alone.  We  will  share  it  with  ne 
one  and  tell  nobody  of  our  comings  and  goings." 

He  spoke  lightly,  jestingly,  but  both  felt  that  the 
pact  they  had  made  was  a  serious  one,  a  pact  for 
companionship  in  hidden  solitude  in  this  magic,  in- 
toxicating place. 

The  paths  were  very  narrow  between  the  encroach- 
ing foliage  of  flowering  shrubs  on  every  side,  and 
they  had  to  walk  closely  together,  sometimes  touch- 
ing each  other  in  the  soft  violet  shade  beneath  the 
overhanging  trees,  and  each  time  her  fair  head  and 
rose  cheek  moved  near  him  he  longed  to  draw  her 
into  his  arms  and  kiss  her  again,  but  he  would  not 
yield  to  the  impulse,  and  almost  in  silence  they  passed 
on  through  the  groves  till  they  were  near  the  high 
gate  by  which  he  had  entered. 

"  Will  you  jump  it  again?  "  she  said,  smiling  up  at 
him. 

"  No ;  I  have  no  inclination  now,"  he  answered. 
"  There  is  nothing  I  want  on  the  other  side." 

The  girl  coloured  and  laughed  at  the  implied  com- 
pliment. Bending  down  and  putting  the  key  in  the 
gate,  she  opened  and  pushed  it.  It  swung  wide,  giv- 
ing access  to  the  quiet  road,  full  now  of  a  luminous 
rose  dusk  beneath  its  arching  trees. 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  65 

"  Shall  I  see  you  and  the  pictures  this  evening?'" 
he  asked. 

"  Yes,  I  will  bring  them,"  she  answered,  and  just 
at  that  moment,  over  their  heads  in  the  thickets  of 
climbing  rose,  a  nightingale  burst  into  its  loud  throb- 
bing, commanding  call.  They  listened,  hesitating, 
while  the  mad,  impatient  beat  of  it  vibrated  through 
the  quiet  air,  and  far  off  somewhere  in  the  woods, 
after  an  interval,  came  back  an  answering  call. 

Then  he  passed  through  the  gate  and  the  girl 
stood  watching  him,  delighting  in  the  beauty  of  his 
quick  and  easy  walk  down  the  shadowy  road.  When 
he  had  vanished  she  turned  back  and  went  by  the 
winding  path  to  the  centre  palm,  and  there,  beneath 
its  protecting  boughs,  she  threw  herself  down,  laying 
her  face  against  the  bosom  of  the  springing  turf. 

"  I  was  right,  I  was  right,"  she  murmured  to  her- 
self. "  It  is  more  beautiful  than  music,  than  the 
sunset  skies,  than  the  golden  light  on  the  palms,  than 
the  play  of  the  moonbeams;  and  it  is  like  them  all. 
Bright  as  the  sunlight,  mysterious  as  the  ocean,  won- 
derful as  the  fragrance  of  the  rose,  that  is  what  they 
call  love,  and  I  have  it,  I  have  found  it  in  its  perfec- 
tion. What  happiness !  What  good  fortune !  " 
She  lay  still  and  silent,  wrapped  round  and  round  in 
a  strange  soft  delight,  lulled  as  if  in  some  half-wak- 
ing dream  by  the  cooing  of  the  doves  above  her,  the 
wave  of  the  tamarisk  in  the  hot  air,  the  low  murmur  of 
the  sea. 

The  doves  came  down  near  her,  finding  her  so  still. 
They  were  very  tame,  for  she  came  there  to  feed 
them  all  through  the  winter,  and  she  heard  the  twinge 
of  its  lovely  wings  as  one  almost  brushed  her  cheek. 


70         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

She  turned  and  stretched  out  her  hand  to  it. 
"  Bird  of  Venus,"  she  said  softly,  "  Erasmie  peleia, 
come  and  talk  to  me."  And  the  dove  let  her  gather 
it  up  to  her  breast  and  put  her  lips  on  its  sleek  head. 
"  Born  of  love  and  for  love,  I  love  you,"  she  mur- 
mured to  it.  "  Did  you  see  him  kiss  me  this  even- 
ing? Oh,  dove!  how  wonderful  that  was."  She 
pressed  her  warm  hands  on  the  shoulders  of  the  bird 
and  kissed  it  again.  Then  she  opened  her  clasp  and 
let  it  go,  for  she  could  not  bear  to  constrain  it,  but 
the  bird  only  fluttered  as  far  as  her  feet  and  stayed 
there  beside  her,  pecking  in  the  grass. 

Regina  looked  up  to  the  sky  through  the  palm 
leaves.  It  was  deeply  flushed  now,  even  to  the  zenith, 
and  strangely  luminous. 

"  For  their  paradise,  the  Mohammedans  thought  of 
beauty  and  women  —  that  is,  love  —  and  the  Chris- 
tians thought  of  the  rapture  of  music  and  the  ecstasy 
of  adoration,  and  that  is  love  too;  the  idea  under- 
lying both  is  the  same,  and  neither  could  think  of  any- 
thing better  than  that." 

She  was  a  little  late  for  dinner,  but  everybody  else 
was  the  same,  and  the  Rector  never  stormed  nor  swore 
at  his  family  before  strangers.  Moreover  he  was  in 
a  particularly  good  temper,  as  in  addition  to  Ever- 
est's cheque  he  had  picked  up  another  good  donation 
for  the  cottages  from  Lady  Delamere.  So  the  din- 
ner was  quite  a  cheerful  meal  and  passed  over  in  good 
temper  and  gaiety. 

At  ten-thirty  Everest  was  sitting  in  his  sitting- 
room  expecting  Regina.  The  room  was  lighted  by 
large  swinging  lamps  depending  from  the  ceiling, 
so  that  the  light  was  good  and  well  diffused;  on  the 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  71 

table  stood  a  spray  of  white  roses  in  a  vase,  for  Ever- 
est was  fond  of  flowers,  and  as  he  had  not  found  any 
put  in  his  room  he  had  gathered  some  in  the  Rectory 
garden  and  brought  them  in  himself. 

The  window  stood  open  and  the  scent  of  the  climb- 
ing flowers  all  around  the  sill  filled  the  air  with  fra- 
grance. 

He  sat  idle,  thinking  of  Regina  and  the  strong,  fear- 
less, self-reliant  sort  of  character  she  had.  How  sim- 
ply and  easily  she  had  assented  to  his  invitation  to 
come  to  his  room  to  show  her  pictures!  Just  as  a 
man  would  do.  She  seemed  to  be  entirely  without 
that  mincing,  mawkish  way  so  many  girls  and  women 
have,  that  silly,  hesitating  questioning  about  every 
trifle.  Shall  I?  Ought  I?  Is  it  proper?  Will  it 
seem  this  or  that? 

Regina  gave  him  the  idea  of  being  absolutely  inno- 
cent and  upright,  and  therefore  candid  and  fearless; 
never  accustomed  to  consider  or  trouble  about  the 
opinions  of  others.  He  felt  that  about  her  own  ac- 
tions she  would  only  ask  herself,  Is  it  right? 
Whereas  most  people  do  not  care  in  the  least  about 
that,  all  they  ever  ask  themselves  is,  What  will  others 
think?  How  will  it  seem?  Will  it  be  found  out? 
And  this  attracted  him  in  her  greatly. 

At  a  little  after  the  half-hour  he  heard  her  step 
outside  and  went  to  open  the  door  for  her.  She 
came  in  with  a  smile,  both  hands  full  of  her  paint- 
ings, clasping  them  to  her. 

Everest  pulled  forward  some  chairs,  and  together 
they  set  the  sheets  up,  leaning  against  the  backs, 
where  the  light  fell  best  upon  them.  There  were 
about  twenty  paintings  in  water-colour  and  they 


72         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

found  places  for  most  of  them.  Then  Everest  re- 
treated to  the  point  from  where  he  could  see  them 
best  and  considered  them  in  silence. 

He  was  surprised.  He  had  expected  something 
more  of  the  ordinary  young  lady's  drawing-room 
decorations,  though  he  felt  sure  that  all  Regina 
created  would  be  artistic  and  beautiful.  But  here 
he  saw  at  once  it  was  a  special  talent  that  he  was  look- 
ing at,  that  here  was  no  question  of  a  little  skill  ac- 
quired with  a  drawing-master's  aid.  Here  were  no 
copies  of  rustic  cottages,  nor  yet  the  inevitable  mill, 
water-wheel  and  bridge. 

Each  picture  was  strong,  vivid,  with  its  own  marked 
stamp  upon  it,  and  a  challenging  originality  was  in 
them  all.  The  tones  of  colour,  the  effects  of  light 
were  marvellous ;  sunset  and  dawn,  the  radiance  of  the 
late  afternoon,  the  deep  shades  of  approaching  night 
—  all  were  here  rendered  in  their  idealised,  sublimated 
form,  showing,  as  the  artist  always  seeks  to  show, 
the  essence  of  beauty. 

Regina  stood  beside  him,  also  looking  at  the  pic- 
tures. He  divined  that  she  was  quite  lost  in  their 
contemplation,  that  his  own  presence  for  the  moment 
was  a  secondary  thing.  This  also  proves  the  artist, 
for  to  him  even  the  height  of  passion  is  less  than  the 
height  of  his  artistic  attainment. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  them  ?  "  she  asked,  after  a 
silence. 

"  I  think  they  are  quite  beautiful ;  they  are  sur- 
prising. You  have  a  magnificent  gift." 

Regina  flushed  and  trembled  with  pleasure. 
Hitherto  her  art  had  given  her  intense  joy  as  she 
recognised  the  worth  in  her  creations.  But  now  she 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT          73 

felt  that  intenser  joy  of  bringing  it  forward  to  an- 
other and  seeing  its  effect  on  him,  for  the  first  time. 
The  praise  that  we  know  ourselves  is  true !  What 
a  delight  it  brings  with  it.  That  this  man  whom  she 
so  admired  and  longed  to  please  should  be  interested 
in  her  work,  surprised  at  its  excellence,  made  her  heart 
beat  and  her  eyes  dance. 

Everest  was  greatly  interested.  An  artist  himself, 
he  saw  directly  the  difficulties  of  the  subjects  she 
had  chosen,  and  the  talent  that  was  necessary  to 
overcome  them  as  she  had  done.  He  picked  up  first 
one  and  then  another,  looking  at  them  from  a  distance 
to  see  the  general  effect  and  examining  them  closely 
to  consider  the  workmanship,  and  the  girl  sat  silent, 
watching  him,  as  he  handled  her  sacred  work  that  was 
so  dear  to  her  and  that  had  never  been  before 
any  eyes  for  judgment  until  now.  Her  sisters  and 
mother  knew  that  she  painted,  and  had  seen  her 
work  occasionally  in  her  room,  but  knowing  and 
caring  nothing  about  such  things  they  had  not 
heeded  it. 

Now  she  sat  absorbed,  watching  him  and  the  beauti- 
fully coloured  work  glowing  in  his  hands. 

"  They  are  all  wonderfully  done.  As  you  have  had 
no  lessons,  and  never  been  taught,  it  simply  means 
you  have  a  great  genius  for  it,"  he  said,  laying  down 
the  last  sheet  and  looking  over  to  where  she  sat,  a 
sweet  picture  herself  in  her  white  dinner  dress,  gaz- 
ing so  earnestly  at  him  with  her  lustrous  eyes,  her 
rose-hued  face  supported  on  her  hand,  her  milky, 
dimpled  elbow  leaning  on  the  chair  arm. 

"  I  am  so  glad,"  she  said  softly.  "  I  hoped  it 
might  be  so,  for  when  I  go  to  Exeter  and  see  exhibi- 


74         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

tions  of  painting  there,  and  the  things  they  sell  in 
the  shops,  somehow  I  feel  that  mine  are  —  well,  dif- 
ferent." 

"  They  are  quite  different,  and  very  much  better 
than  the  ordinary  water-colour  —  this  is  a  most  diffi- 
cult subject,  and  perfectly  done."  He  lifted  a  paint- 
ing of  the  enchanted  garden.  All  across  the  fore- 
ground waved  boldly  the  mass  of  wild  flowering 
tamarisk ;  admirably  thrown  back,  the  garden  and  its 
wealth  of  roses  was  seen  behind  and  beyond,  far  off 
across  the  hazy  blue  of  the  sea  burned  the  sunset 
sky  in  softest  crimson. 

"  I  should  like  to  have  that  in  my  gloomy  London 
rooms." 

"  Would  you  really  ?  "  she  answered,  all  her  face 
glowing.  "  Do  then  accept  it.  I  am  so  proud 
and  honoured  and  delighted.  Do,  please,  choose  any 
one  you  like,  or  more  than  one.  They  would  all  be 
yours  if  you  wished  it." 

"  This  one  appeals  to  me  specially,  and  I  shall 
never  part  with  it,  because  it  is  the  scene  of  our  first 
kiss,"  Everest  said,  in  a  low  tone,  and  rose  with  the 
picture  in  his  hand  to  make  space  for  it  on  the  mantel- 
piece. As  he  did  so  he  took  a  velvet  case  from  be- 
fore the  glass  and  laid  it  on  the  table.  It  was  just 
by  Regina,  and  she  glanced  at  it. 

"  What  a  beautiful  face,"  she  said,  as  the  miniature 
of  a  girl's  head  with  a  delicate,  cameo-like  profile 
met  her  eyes. 

"  That  ?  Yes ;  it's  my  cousin.  She  is  considered 
very  pretty,"  answered  Everest  from  the  mantel- 
piece, where  he  was  installing  her  painting. 

A  little  chill  came  over  Regina  as  she  looked;  the 


IN  THE  WAYS  OF  DELIGHT  75 

cold,  perfect  face  seemed  to  hold  her  gaze.  His 
cousin's !  Her  portrait  here !  Suddenly  his  life,  his 
far-off  existence  that  was  all  so  vague  to  her,  had 
put  out  a  hand  and  claimed  him. 

She  sat  silent,  and  Everest  turned  from  the  hearth, 
clos€d  the  frame  and  laid  it  on  a  side-table.  Re- 
gina's  painting  now  sat  enthroned  before  the  glass. 
The  whole  room  was  bright  with  pictures.  Windows 
seemed  open  everywhere  in  the  walls  through  which 
one  saw  vivid  skies  and  seas  and  waving  trees.  They 
spoke  about  them  all  in  turn;  two  artists  together 
with  fresh  work  to  view  will  sit  and  talk  all  night 
over  it  if  left  undisturbed. 

It  struck  twelve  by  her  sister's  silver  clock  on  his 
table,  before  either  of  them  noticed  how  the  time  had 
gone. 

She  sprang  up  from  her  chair  and  gathered  the 
paintings  together. 

"  How  wrong  of  me  to  stay  so  late !  And  you 
came  here  to  get  well  and  keep  early  hours ;  I  am  so 
sorry." 

She  was  going,  and  Everest  rose  from  his  seat  and 
saw  her  flushed  with  excitement  and  pleasure,  a 
joyous,  shining  vision  in  the  lamplight.  The  colour 
came  suddenly  to  his  own  face,  the  dark  eyes  lit  up, 
he  made  a  movement  towards  her. 

"  Regina,  one  good-night  kiss." 

She  looked  back  at  him  standing  under  the  light. 
Just  behind  him,  near  the  closed  panels  of  the  door 
into  his  room,  over  his  shoulder  she  saw  the  open 
casement  standing  wide  to  the  mysterious,  all-shel- 
tering night.  She  hesitated,  and  suddenly  Everest 
turned  aside. 


76         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

"  No,  it  is  better  not ;  you  are  my  guest  this  even- 
ing. Good-night,  my  sweet." 

Regina  backed  towards  the  door  and  softly,  silently 
vanished  through  it.  With  flying,  noiseless  feet  she 
ran  up  the  stairs  to  her  own  room  and  there,  laying 
the  paper  sheets  on  the  bed,  threw  herself  on  her 
knees  beside  it  with  her  head  on  her  outstretched 
arms, 


CHAPTER  III 

THE    GIFT 

FOB  some  days  Everest  and  Regina  had  no  oppor- 
tunity of  meeting  in  the  enchanted  garden.  The 
family  had  the  idea  that  their  guest  was  to  be  enter- 
tained and  amused,  and  set  themselves  to  their  self- 
imposed  task  with  commendable  thoroughness.  He 
was  driven  out  to  afternoon  teas,  escorted  to  flower- 
shows,  taken  to  garden-parties ;  lawn-tennis  was  ar- 
ranged for  the  morning;  rides  in  the  wood  or  motor- 
boat  excursions  on  the  sea  for  the  afternoon;  and 
though  Regina  took  no  part  in  a  great  many  of  these 
various  diversions,  still  the  same  roof  was  sheltering 
them  both,  they  saw  each  other  constantly,  and  al- 
most always  at  breakfast  the  conversation  was  en- 
tirely theirs.  In  this  way  the  passion  between  them 
grew  and  grew;  all  the  more  steadfastly  as  it  was 
impossible  for  them  to  gratify  their  strenuous  wish 
to  be  alone  in  each  other's  society,  to  know  the  joy 
again  —  the  "  divine  joy,"  as  Plato  describes  it,  "  of 
the  kiss  and  the  touch." 

Regina  grew  to  admire  him  more  and  more  as 
their  talks  together  revealed  his  views  and  opinions ; 
his  wonder  at  the  logical  clearness  of  her  mind,  the 
extent  of  her  reading,  the  leaping  quickness  of  her 
intellect,  increased  with  each  day,  and  as  his  pas- 
sions had  always  a  large  share  of  mentality  in  them 

this  brilliance  of  her  brain  attracted  him  as  much  as 

11 


78         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

her  soft  colour  or  her  waving  hair.  Every  day  as 
she  talked  with  him  across  the  breakfast-table,  or 
listened  to  him,  with  wide,  interested,  reverent  eyes, 
he  longed  to  press  those  bright  lips  and  draw  the 
dear  clever  head  down  on  his  shoulder. 

At  last,  after  some  days  of  unintermittent  social 
gaiety,  he  said  to  the  Rector,  when  they  were  alone : 
"  Look  here,  John,  I  don't  want  you  to  exert  yourself 
to  provide  these  sorts  of  amusements  for  me.  I  can 
have  all  this  in  town.  You  know  I  came  here  to  rest 
and  be  quiet  and  get  rid  of  the  fever.  I  like  it  best 
when  I  can  just  stroll  about  in  the  woods  and  have 
nothing  to  do." 

"  You're  perfectly  free  to  do  just  what  suits  you 
best,"  returned  the  Rector,  "  don't  let  anyone  worry 
you.  The  girls  are  going  to  some  garden-party  this 
afternoon,  I  believe,  but  don't  let  them  drag  you  there 
if  you  don't  care  about  it." 

"  I  think  I  will  really  stay  away  this  time,"  Ever- 
est answered.  "  I  should  like  to  stroll  somewhere  in 
the  country  this  afternoon  and  so  get  some  exercise." 

It  fell  out  accordingly  that  the  feminine  portion  of 
the  family,  exclusive  of  the  youngest  daughter,  drove 
away  to  the  garden-party  after  luncheon,  the  Rector 
went  to  the  village  to  inspect  his  schools  and  Everest 
was  left  alone  to  walk  down  to  the  sea,  to  the  en- 
chanted garden,  to  Regina. 

She  was  there  waiting  for  him  under  the  blossom- 
laden  trees,  in  her  prettiest  of  pale  green  dresses, 
and  without  any  speech  at  all  they  rushed  into  each 
other's  arms,  and  kissed,  driven  by  a  wild  instinctive, 
self-preservative  longing  to  make  an  exchange  of 
that  electricity,  that  had  been  stored  up  in  each  of 


THE  GIFT  79 

them  for  many  days,  increasing  every  hour,  and, 
since  it  was  denied  any  outlet,  burning  into  their 
own  heart  and  brain,  and  consuming  their  vitality. 

Those  sweet,  glad  kisses  restored  the  balance  of 
electricity  between  them  and  seemed  to  fill  them  with 
new  life  and  energy.  It  was  such  a  lovely  day, 
where  should  they  go,  what  should  they  do?  And 
when  Everest  suggested  walking  somewhere,  the  girl 
was  ready  with  ideas  and  plans,  like  an  orderly  lay- 
ing the  new  route  before  the  colonel. 

"  Let  us  walk  if  you  like  along  the  sands  to  the 
next  village.  There  is  a  dear  little  inn  in  the  bay 
where  we  can  have  tea  and  then  come  round  by  the 
wood  home.  Would  you  like  that?  "  she  asked,  gaz- 
ing up  to  his  handsome  face,  the  skin  of  which  looked 
so  cool  and  clear  in  the  green  light  of  the  garden  — 
green  light  which  intensified  the  darkness  of  his  eyes 
in  their  downward  gaze  upon  her. 

"  Very  much,"  he  answered  simply ;  and  so  they 
started,  descending  from  the  garden  by  a  little  gate 
in  the  porphyry  balustrade,  and  a  steep  flight  of 
steps  to  the  hard  glistening  sands,  to  walk  to  Hed- 
dington,  a  small  sunlit  village  lying  far  back  in  the 
bay.  That  walk,  how  it  remained  always  in  the 
girl's  memory !  —  that  happy  walk  along  those  glit- 
tering sands,  at  the  border  of  the  purple  sea.  How 
her  dancing  feet  carried  her  along  beside  him!  She 
felt  so  joyously  conscious  of  her  youth  and  health. 
She  knew  that  the  sloping  sunbeams  turned  her  hair 
into  gold  beneath  her  straw  hat,  that  the  purple  of 
the  sea  ancl  the  blue  of  the  sky  got  into  her  eyes,  and 
that  he  was  pleased  with  her  as  his  gaze  met  hers. 
And  their  talk ;  what  a  splendid  thing  it  was ;  its  new- 


80         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

ness,  its  range  over  so  many  themes  delighted  her. 
The  talk  of  Stossop  always  stayed  in  Stossop,  and 
wearied  the  girl  to  death  by  its  inane  repetitions,  but 
their  talk  wandered  all  over  the  world  and  took  them 
with  it  and  up  and  down  the  centuries  from  Palaeo- 
lithic times,  and  sometimes  it  called  up  visions  of 
Indian  coral  and  they  almost  looked  to  see  it  in  the 
Devon  sea,  and  sometimes  it  made  a  distant  group  of 
black  rocks  seem  like  an  ancient  caveman  fighting  a 
bear.  And  yet  it  was  all  so  light  and  laughter-filled, 
with  none  of  the  pedagogic  solemnity  of  the  half- 
educated  person,  trying  to  show  the  half  of  him  that 
knows  and  keep  concealed  the  half  which  is  ignorant. 
Everest  never  talked  like  a  schoolmaster,  but  as  an 
artist  —  in  pictures ;  and  Regina  had  nothing  of  the 
schoolmistress  in  her,  only  that  true,  deep  thirst  for 
knowledge,  that  had  carried  her  down  into  the  depths 
of  the  heaviest  learning  and  from  which  she  had 
emerged,  her  brain  brilliant  and  shining,  her  language 
full  of  beauty  and  supple  and  keen. 

To  both,  the  moments  seemed  to  race  by  like  a 
golden  stream.  They  hardly  seemed  to  have  left  the 
red  steps  of  the  garden  before  they  found  themselves 
at  Heddington,  and  Everest  ordered  tea  for  them  to 
be  brought  out  on  the  creeper-covered  terrace,  that 
hung  over  the  shining  sea. 

When  they  first  turned  the  angle  of  rock,  and  came 
into  the  small,  white-sanded  bay  and  saw  the  inn  just 
in  front  of  them,  in  its  bridal  veil  of  white  roses,  the 
girl  sighed  and  stayed  still. 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  sorry  to  think  our  walk  is  over !  " 
Everest  came  close  to  her,  slipped  his  hand  through 
her  arm  and  pressed  it. 


THE  GIFT  81 

"  Why  should  you  be  sorry,  darling?  "  he  asked. 
"  We  are  not  going  to  part  here.  We  shall  still  be 
together." 

There  was  a  tender  accent,  a  stress  of  deep  feeling 
in  his  voice.  Her  eyes  looked  up  to  his  face,  her 
breath  came  and  went  quickly.  She  was  not  to  be 
sorry  —  and  he  was  not  —  because  they  were  still 
together. 

So  the  great  fact  was  voiced  between  them,  and 
they  became  aware  of  the  pressing  desire,  the  colossal 
wish,  beside  which  everything  else  became  insignifi- 
cant, the  wild,  passionate  longing  in  each  —  to  be  to- 
gether. 

"  I  know,"  she  said  falteringly,  after  a  pause, 
"  but  I  am  so  sorry  to  think  that  half  the  time  is 
gone.  We  are  that  much  nearer  to  it  being  over," 
and  from  that  minute  she  felt  inclined  to  catch  at 
each  moment  going  by ;  all  of  them  were  wonderful, 
precious  moments,  and  they  shone  in  her  memory 
afterwards,  like  golden  stars,  in  the  dark  nights  of  her 
future. 

The  moment  when  they  entered  the  cramped  dark 
hall  of  the  inn,  where  a  mysterious  blue  light  reigned, 
owing  to  the  blue  paper  covering  the  glass  of  the  end 
window,  and  giving  effectively,  yet  economically,  the 
idea  of  a  stained-glass  casement.  This  blue  light,  in 
its  novelty,  called  fresh  pleasure  to  her  mind,  as  she 
saw  the  reflection  of  her  own  face  in  the  hall  mirror 
float  mistily  and  lily-like  in  it. 

The  moment  when,  emerging  on  the  terrace,  they 
sat  down  under  the  canopy  of  rose,  looking  out  to- 
wards the  sea,  now  calm,  only  slightly  tremulous,  all 
pink  and  silver  in  the  quiet  bay,  and  she  heard  Ever- 


82         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

est  ordering  tea  for  them,  with  every  luxury  im- 
aginable added  for  her,  she  knew  for  her,  since  he 
rarely  took  cakes  and  chocolates  and  strawberries 
and  cream ;  and  the  moment  when  they  sat  silent  and 
very  near  together,  looking  at  each  other  over  the 
empty  tea-cups,  and  drinking  in  the  peace  and  sweet- 
ness, the  calm  of  all  about  them. 

What  a  pity  to  have  to  go  back  to  the  Rectory. 
Overhead  a  little  window,  embowered  in  roses,  looked 
out  upon  the  sea.  That  window  belonged  to  a  room 
that  the  voluble  innkeeper  had  offered  Everest  if  they 
wanted  to  stay  the  night.  What  a  pity  that  they 
couldn't  stay  at  the  little  inn  and  sit  side  by  side  on 
its  terrace,  looking  out  to  a  pink  and  silver  distance 
for  ever  and  ever !  Such  thoughts  were  in  their 
minds,  equally  in  the  man's  as  in  the  girl's  ;  with  such 
little  simple  pleasures  does  cunning  Nature  amuse  her 
cleverest  children,  for  these  little  things,  these  tiny 
golden  seconds,  are  bridges  leading  over  to  the  great, 
the  greatest  things  in  life. 

And  the  walk  back  inland,  through  the  great  green 
woods,  was  a  rapture  too,  though  pierced  by  pain,  as 
each  step  brought  them  nearer  home. 

Their  talk  went  on,  bright,  inspiring  talk,  never 
persona^  never  petty,  but  always  on  the  wide,  open 
fields,  in  the  broad  plains  of  thought  and  intellect; 
for  these  two  were  absolutely  alike  in  their  abhorrence 
of  the  common  and  the  commonplace,  the  mean,  the 
small  and  the  trivial,  and  they  were  also  very  singu- 
larly akin  in  all  emotions  and  modes  of  thought,  in 
their  estimation  of  man,  in  their  view  of  him  as  the 
blot  upon  creation,  as  Nature's  mistake,  in  their 
estimation  of  his  rapacity  and  cruelty,  his  infinite  lit- 


THE  GIFT  83 

tleness  and  stupidity.  They  were  alike  too  in  their 
love  for  the  animal  world,  for  all  the  gracious,  sweet, 
and  lovely  lives  about  us  on  this  earth,  that  man,  in 
his  stupendous  imbecility,  dares  to  say  were  created 
for  him  to  trample  upon. 

In  this  connection,  the  girl  asked  him  suddenly  if 
it  were  true  that  he  had  shot  much  in  Africa,  and 
Everest  replied :  "  I  used  to  shoot  a  good  deal,  but 
I  never  liked  it,  except  as  an  exhibition  of  skill,  and  as 
one  gets  older  one  sees  more  and  more  into  the  horror 
of  taking  innocent  and  beautiful  lives  for  one's  own 
amusement."  And  Regina  loved  him  more  than  ever 
for  this  speech. 

Their  minds  in  their  kinship  were  like  two  eagles, 
that,  flying  from  different  quarters,  had  suddenly  met 
and,  happy  in  companionship,  after  lonely  travel, 
soared  upwards  to  the  blue  zenith  together. 

The  difference  in  age  was  hardly  perceptible  be- 
tween them.  Everest  had  been  at  eighteen  just  like 
Regina  now,  and  Regina  at  forty-six  would  be  like 
Everest  now,  and  so  they  met  and  talked  on  equal 
ground,  as  a  man  soliloquises  with  himself. 

Everest  did  not  seek  to  kiss  her  until  they  came  to 
the  border  of  the  home  copse  where  they  must  part. 
There  he  drew  her  into  a  close,  long  embrace  and 
she  threw  her  arms  about  his  neck  and  kissed  him 
back  as  she  had  not  ventured  to  do  till  now  —  their 
talk  had  drawn  them  so  near  to  each  other.  Then 
white  and  breathless  she  ran  from  him  through  the 
mossy  copse  and  so  home  and  upstairs,  and  Ever- 
est later  slowly  crossed  the  lawn  to  the  Rectory  and 
his  own  rooms,  entering  by  the  long  French  win- 
dows. 


84         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

For  many  days  after  this,  they  met  In  the  en- 
chanted garden,  and  Regina  lived  in  paradise. 

Everest  was  supposed  to  need  exercise,  and  every 
afternoon  took  a  walk  to  the  sea  unaccompanied. 
The  two  elder  girls  were  not  good  walkers  enough  to 
be  able  to  go  with  him,  and  after  a  hint  from  their 
father  forbore  to  press  their  own  or  other  society 
upon  him,  but,  as  he  spent  the  entire  morning  and 
evening  in  their  company,  left  him  undisturbed  in  the 
afternoon,  to  sleep  if  he  felt  touches  of  fever  re- 
turning on  him,  or  to  walk  where  the  fancy  took 
him. 

Though  they  did  not  know  it,  it  always  took  him  to 
the  Chalet  and  its  garden.  Every  day  the  girl  in  her 
new-found  emotions,  in  her  joy  and  pride  and  inno- 
cent happiness,  grew  more  lovely.  Her  eyes  shone 
more  brightly,  her  skin  grew  more  exquisitely  trans- 
parent; but  it  was  not  the  same  with  Everest;  the 
sense  of  the  Future  gripped  him  too  strongly,  and 
sleepless,  troubled  nights  brought  back  the  fever. 
Daily  his  cheek  grew  paler,  and  except  when  talking, 
or  under  the  influence  of  some  emotion,  his  face  did 
not  have  the  same  animation,  nor  his  eyes  the  same 
brilliance,  as  when  he  came. 

One  afternoon  when  they  met  in  the  garden  she 
saw  at  once  that  something  was  oppressing  him. 
His  face  was  white,  and  the  usually  calm  lines  of  the 
brows  were  contracted  with  pain. 

"  My  darling,  I  cannot  stay  here,"  he  said,  after 
their  first  long  kiss.  "  You  must  not  ask  me,  sweetest 
one.  It  is  killing  me,  and  it  is  too  dangerous  for 
you.  This  garden  seems  to  alter  everything.  .  .  . 
When  I  am  here,  I  forget  the  world  of  men  outside,  in 


THE  GIFT  85 

which,  after  all,  vile  as  it  is,  we  have  to  live.  I  must 
go,  Regina,  before  it  is  too  late." 

"  It  is  too  late,"  she  answered,  in  a  low  voice. 
"  Oh,  Everest,  if  you  knew  what  I  shall  feel  when  you 
go.  It  is  so  dreadful,  so  impossible,  to  give  you  up. 
.  .  .  All  the  rest  of  my  life  must  be  wretched.  ...  I 
have  only  this  time,  these  wonderful  days,  while  you 
are  here,  to  be  happy  in.  ...  Don't  shorten  them. 
Stay  with  me  a  little  longer  .  .  .  !  " 

And  in  the  still  magic  shade  of  the  garden,  Everest 
promised  to  stay,  because  it  seemed  to  him,  too,  that 
it  was  impossible  to  leave  her,  and  all  the  world,  the 
hateful,  ridiculous,  jarring  world,  seemed  far  away, 
non-existent,  under  those  fragrant  roses,  where  the 
nightingales  sang  and  Nature  held  full  sway. 

But  that  same  night,  at  home,  in  his  room,  the  idea 
came  again  very  sharply  before  him  that  his  duty  was 
either  to  go  away  or  to  offer  to  marry  Regina. 

It  was  treacherous,  cruel,  dishonourable  to  stay 
any  longer,  unless  he  did  that ;  he  had  stayed  too  long 
as  it  was,  he  knew ;  but  that  was  done  now.  He  could 
not  help  it,  all  he  could  do  was  to  go  at  once,  before 
things  were  still  worse.  Mechanically,  he  began  to 
put  a  few  things  together  that  he  always  packed  him- 
self. Then  he  stopped,  and  sat  down  again.  Sup- 
pose he  just  followed  his  own  desires,  and  did  not 
trouble  about  anything  else?  .  .  .  Suppose  he  mar- 
ried Regina,  and  gave  himself  up  to  golden  weeks  of 
wandering  with  her?  .  .  .  There  was  no  reason  why 
he  should  not.  He  was  free  to  marry  if  he  chose. 
But  the  permanence  of  it,  the  insane  laws  of  the  thing 
frightened  him,  as  it  had  done  all  his  life. 

He  sat  silent,  looking  down  at  the  floor,  thinking 


86         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

deeply;  everything  grows  so  much  more  complicated 
and  difficult  to  decide  as  one  grows  older.  One  loses 
that  saving  narrowness  of  view  that,  in  youth,  pre- 
vents one  from  seeing  more  of  a  project  than  the  side 
presented  to  one,  and  so  simplifies  one's  course  of  con- 
duct. In  youth,  too,  everything  seems  so  permanent ; 
that  clears  away  another  difficulty.  In  love  matters 
it  makes  everything  remarkably  easy.  .  .  .  We  love, 
and  our  passion  is  certain  to  last  for  ever  and  ever. 
Then,  it  is  fairly  easy  to  arrange  for  it.  But  as  we 
grow  older  we  see  that  nothing  is  permanent.  Every- 
thing is  moving,  shifting,  changing,  and  the  whole 
difficulty  of  man  arises  from  the  fact  that  he  will  shut 
his  eyes  to  this  universal  truth.  He  makes  institu- 
tions and  laws,  which  would  only  be  good  and  service- 
able if  our  emotions,  our  passions,  ourselves  were  last- 
ing and  changeless  instead  of  being  the  victims  of 
constant  metamorphoses,  and  consequently  man's  life 
is  a  perpetual  and  fruitless  struggle  to  adapt  these 
solid,  permanent  and  unelastic  inventions  to  the  rest- 
less varying  of  his  life  and  his  being. 

Thus  do  we  bid  him  build  the  solid  rock  house  of 
marriage  —  where  ?  —  upon  the  shifting  sands  of  his 
passions  and  emotions. 

Can  we  expect  it  to  be  a  success  ? 

Everest  knew  that  he  loved  Regina  now,  that  he 
passionately  longed  for  and  desired  her ;  and  the  feel- 
ing seemed  so  strong,  so  deeply  rooted  that  it  might 
well  last  for  the  traditional  "  ever."  .  „  .  But  expe- 
rience told  him  that,  of  the  many,  many  passions  and 
loves  he  had  felt  before,  all  had  varied,  and  shifted, 
and  changed,  and  in  due  course,  from  one  ailment  or 
another,  languished,  sickened  and  died.  > 


THE  GIFT  87 

And  on  their  death  he  had  been  free.  But  in  this 
case  he  was  considering,  when  they  died,  he  would  be 
enveloped,  shackled  in  the  chains  of  marriage!  He 
thought  of  all  his  married  friends.  .  .  .  There  was 
not  one  who  did  not  envy  him  his  freedom,  and  yet 
most  of  them  must  have  felt  at  some  time  that  same 
stress  of  emotion  for  their  wives  as  he  felt  for  Regina 
now.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  suddenly. 

"  No !  No !  I  will  not  be  so  foolish  as  to  be  led 
into  it !  In  town,  in  a  few  weeks,  I  may  have  forgot- 
ten her  altogether." 

He  recommenced  collecting  his  letters  and  papers 
with  feverish  vigour.  He  knew  he  must  go,  and  he 
would  do  so  the  day  after  to-morrow.  His  resolve 
was  quite  genuine,  and  he  looked  out  the  up-trains 
himself  in  Miss  Marlow's  ready  laid  hand-book,  and 
packed  his  writing-case  and  small  trunks. 

But  Nature,  who  doesn't  mind  in  the  least  about 
marriage,  but  is  very  keen  on  carrying  out  those 
matters  which  really  concern  her,  is  not  to  be  put  off 
by  a  human  being  just  packing  his  suit-case. 

The  following  afternoon,  when  Everest  started 
from  the  Rectory  for  his  walk  seawards,  as  he  left  the 
grounds,  he  met  the  curate  coming  up  from  the  vil- 
lage, and  as  he  greeted  him  the  young  man  joined  him. 

"  I'm  going  to  visit  a  parishioner  who  lives  in  a 
little  cottage  on  the  beach.  Are  you  going  that  way  ? 
If  so,  we  might  walk  down  together." 

Everest  assented  pleasantly,  though  on  that  par- 
ticular day  no  man's  company  was  particularly  wel- 
come to  him.  His  whole  excitable  nature  was  now 
strung  up  to  one  painful  and  horrible  duty:  the 
wrenching  himself  away  from  a  woman  that  he  loved 


88         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

with  certainly  the  best  and  highest  passion  he  had 
ever  felt  in  his  life.  His  blood  seemed  all  on  fire,  and 
running  the  wrong  way  in  his  veins ;  his  teeth  seemed 
on  edge ;  all  his  nerves  shaken.  But  he  showed  none 
of  this :  he  looked  to  the  curate  singularly  calm,  quiet 
and  self-possessed. 

For  a  few  minutes  they  spoke  on  indifferent  sub- 
jects, and  then  the  young  man  said  suddenly: 

"  You  are  making  quite  a  long  stay  in  Devon  ?  " 

There  was  a  sort  of  questioning  note  in  his  voice, 
and  Everest,  not  having  spoken  to  anyone  yet  of  his 
resolved  departure,  merely  answered: 

"  Yes ;  it  is  very  lovely  here." 

There  was  a  silence,  in  which  Everest  felt  sure  the 
curate  was  gathering  strength  to  address  him  on 
some  subject  of  special  import,  and  his  mind  went 
immediately  to  village  schools,  the  poor  and  sub- 
scriptions, but,  to  his  amaze,  when  the  curate  spoke, 
it  was  of  —  Regina ! 

"  I  expect  you  have  great  opportunities  of  talking 
with  her,  have  you  not  ?  " 

To  which  Everest  replied  frankly,  wondering  what 
was  coming: 

"  Yes,  we  have  talked  a  great  deal." 

"  Has  she  ever,"  the  curate  coughed  nervously, 
"  told  you  about  me?  "  he  said  at  last. 

Everest's  surprise  grew. 

"  Not  beyond  mentioning  your  name  and  your 
services  to  her  father,  I  think,"  he  answered. 

"  She  never  mentioned,  I  suppose,  that  I  ...  I 
was  anxious  ...  I  proposed  to  marry  her?  " 

"  No ;  certainly  not.  I  never  heard  it,"  returned 
Everest  promptly  and  emphatically. 


THE  GIFT  89 

A  wave  of  hot  emotion,  he  could  not  tell  exactly  of 
what  kind,  but  certainly  surprise  and  anger  mixed  in 
it,  came  over  him  as  he  heard  another  man  speak  of 
Regina,  and  reveal  his  attitude  towards  her,  speak  of 
marriage  with  her!  She  was  his  ...  his  .  .  .  his. 
.  .  .  How  dare  the  curate  talk  of  her ! .  .  .  She  was 
wholly  Everest's,  his  own  property.  She  belonged 
solely,  utterly  to  him,  and  then  the  memory  came :  he 
was  going  to  leave  her,  he  was  going  away,  he  was 
leaving  her  to  herself,  to  Stossop,  to  the  people  here, 
to  this  .  „  .  curate! 

In  a  whirl  of  anger  he  heard  the  next  words : 
"  She  refused  me,"  uttered  the  young  man  faintly. 
"  You  see,"  he  continued,  "  she  is  so  very  young,  I 
think  perhaps  she  hardly  knows  her  own  mind,  and 
I,  of  course,  have  no  chance  of  being  very  much  with 
her  or  pleading  my  cause.  I  thought  it  was  just 
possible,  since  you  are  with  her  so  much,  you  could 
put  in  a  word  for  me.  A  girl  is  so  much  influenced 
sometimes  by  what  an  older  man  says.  He  has  the 
weight  of  a  father,  and  yet  more  than  the  influence  of 
a  father,  because  he  comes  from  the  outside.  He's  a 
stranger.  Regina  would  listen,  I  think,  to  all  you 
said.  ...  I  want  her  to  consider  things  a  little,  to 
consider  how  lonely  a  woman's  life  is,  unmar- 
ried. .  .  ." 

The  curate's  voice  went  on,  but  Everest  lost  what 
he  was  saying  in  the  angry  maze  and  swirl  of  his  own 
thoughts. 

So  this  was  what  he  was  driving  at!  It  was  not 
flannel  clubs,  nor  coal  tickets,  nor  choir  classes  now ; 
it  was  not  subscriptions  this  time.  He  was  being 
asked  to  persuade  Regina  —  his  Regina  —  to  marry 


90         THE  NIGHT  Of  TEMPTATiO?y 

another  man,  this  man  —  this  limited,  nawo>f-n»indevl, 
microscopic  curate! 

Then  he  became  aware  that  the  man  was  talking  of 
Regina  herself,  telling  him  how  wonderful  she  was, 
so  unlike  the  other  sisters,  so  unlike  anyone  he  had 
ever  known,  and  drawn  on  by  Everest's  quiet,  ap- 
parently sympathetic  attention  he  began  to  dilate  on 
his  own  love  for  her,  his  ardent  desire  for  her  hap- 
piness. 

"  And  do  you  think  a  girl  like  Regina  Marlow 
•would  be  happy  as  a  clergyman's  wife  ?  "  interrupted 
Everest  mildly. 

Inwardly  he  was  furious  at  the  tone  of  proprietor- 
ship that  unconsciously  crept  into  the  curate's  voice. 
"  I  think  she  would  when  she  had  settled  down,"  he 
answered.  "  I  know  she  is  very  original,  and  has  all 
sorts  of  fancies,  now,  but  that  soon  disappears. 
When  once  a  girl  is  married,  and  face  to  face  with  her 
duties  in  life,  her  children,  her  home,  her  regular 
employment  steady  and  settle  her." 

A  silent  rage  consumed  Everest  as  he  heard  this 
speech,  delivered  in  the  rather  pompous  tones  that 
the  curate,  without  meaning  to  be  offensive,  generally 
slipped  into. 

That  morning,  when  he  had  been  thinking  of  that 
alternative  to  his  going  —  marrying  Regina  —  deep 
in  his  heart  had  been  the  idea  of  children.  Never 
before  in  his  life  had  he  met  a  woman  by  whom  he 
would  so  gladly  have  had  sons  as  by  her.  It  was  just 
that  steel-like  sharpness  of  the  brain,  that  clear,  un- 
clouded intellect,  that  swiftness  of  motion,  that  agil- 
ity of  limb,  that  vital  force  of  energy  in  body  and 


THE  GIFT  91 

mind,  that  he  would  like  to  see  in  his  sons  —  if  he 
had  them.  That  soul  of  a  lioness,  that  frank,  brave, 
upright  nature  she  had  revealed  to  him,  is  not  a  very 
modern  type.  It  reminded  him  more  of  the  old 
Roman  spirit  that  lived  in  Regulus  and  Lucretia,  and 
this  thought  had  swayed  him  very  near  indeed  to  the 
idea  of  marriage.  Only  again,  to  his  sensitive,  com- 
prehensive brain,  the  thought  of  maternity  brought 
the  idea  of  sacrifice,  and  it  showed  how  deeply  really 
his  love  for  the  woman  had  gone,  that  he  shrank  from 
anything  which  would  involve  her  in  suffering  and 
danger.  He  felt  he  could  not  bear  the  thought  of 
this  gay,  beautiful,  radiant  creature,  risking,  and 
perhaps  giving  up,  her  life,  so  full  of  powers  for 
artistic  creation,  for  his  sake,  through  the  gratifica- 
tion of  his  passion  in  bearing  children  to  satisfy  his 
ambitions. 

And  this  had  carried  his  mind  away  again  from 
marriage ;  it  made  the  matter  more  complex  still.  If 
he  married,  it  was  essential  for  his  property  that  his 
wife  should  have  children,  but  he  saw  suddenly  now, 
and  for  the  first  time,  what  an  ordeal  loomed  before 
him  in  giving  over  a  woman,  whom  he  loved  as  much 
as  he  loved  Regina,  to  suffering  and  to  danger. 

Perhaps  the  ancient  Greeks  were  influenced  by  this 
same  feeling  when  they  married  women  merely  to 
have  and  rear  their  children,  while  giving  their  love 
and  devotion  and  life  companionship  to  others. 

And  now,  here,  when  he,  Everest,  whom  the  girl 
loved,  and  who  had  such  great  compensations  to  give 
in  return  for  all  he  asked  from  a  woman,  hesitated 
and  contemplated  the  extreme  of  sacrifice,  that  this 


92        THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

sacred  life  might  be  left  undisturbed,  while  he  was 
planning  to  leave  her,  to  tear  himself  from  her,  for 
her  sake,  this  wretched  man  at  his  side  was  quietly 
talking  of  her  duties,  the  tasks  she  was  to  be  forced 
into,  the  quiet,  humdrum,  irksome  life  she  was  to  be 
bound  to,  the  risks  of  maternity  she  was  to  face,  to 
gratify  him,  that  he  might  enjoy  to  the  full  this 
lovely  flower,  which  Everest  held  too  sacred  to  gather 
himself !  It  was  no  use  to  leave  her !  If  he  did,  this 
man,  or  some  other  like  him,  would  force  her  into  an 
odious  existence,  such  as  was  here  sketched  out. 

His  heart  seemed  to  swell  with  fury,  as  he  thought 
of  it,  dark  mists  of  rage  rose  over  his  brain,  darken- 
ing his  mental  vision. 

"  I  am  sure  I  shall  win  her  in  time,"  the  voice  went 
on  at  his  side.  "  All  that  is  wanted  is  persistence, 
determination.  .  .  .  That  young  Markham,  who  shot 
himself  in  London,  it  was  a  wrong  thing  to  do^  of 
course  —  and  so  foolish !  If  he  had  come  back  here, 
and  persisted,  he  might  have  won  her,  just  as  I 
firmly  believe  I  shall  win  her." 

And  in  answer  to  a  question  of  Everest's,  he  was 
taken  through  the  history  of  Regina's  refusal  to 
Markham,  and  the  tragedy  which  followed,  and  the 
other  histories  of  the  refusals,  and  all  this  talk  went 
to  Everest's  brain  like  corroding  fire.  It  awoke  and 
inflamed  all  that  selfishness  of  his  love  which,  with 
Regina,  and  for  her  sake,  he  had  kept  suppressed, 
and  controlled.  It  rose  up  now  to  its  full  power  and 
fought  with  his  reason.  It  filled  him  with  rage.  He 
longed  to  take  the  curate  up  by  his  neck,  and  throw 
him  over  the  hedge. 

At  last  the  waving  trees  of  the  garden  came  in 


THE  GIFT  93 

sight,  and  he  was  now  all  impatience  to  get  away 
from  him,  but  he  felt  bound  to  accompany  him  to 
the  cottage,  and  see  the  door  shut  upon  him,  before 
turning  to  the  garden. 

"  A  clergyman  wants  a  wife  for  all  this  sort  of 
thing,"  the  latter  remarked  plaintively,  as  they  neared 
the  dirty  little  hovel  on  the  beach ;  "  these  people 
must  be  visited,  especially  when  they  are  sick,  and  it's 
a  woman's  work:  it  takes  too  much  of  a  man's  time." 

Everest  ground  his  teeth  silently.  He  would  not 
trust  himself  to  speak.  Another  moment,  and  they 
were  at  the  door. 

A  filthy  woman,  followed  by  a  crowd  of  still  filthier 
children,  opened  it.  The  sound  of  coughing  and  a 
baby  crying  came  from  the  dark  interior. 

"  You  won't  come  in  ?  "  said  the  curate. 

Everest  declined,  the  curate  disappeared,  and  the 
door  was  shut. 

Feeling  mad,  like  one  who  has  drunk  vitriolised 
brandy,  his  nerves  exasperated  and  his  control  all 
gone,  Everest  turned  and  walked  back  rapidly  to- 
wards the  garden,  with  the  swift,  eager  step  of  the 
thirsting  wolf  scenting  water.  He  came  to  the  gate 
and  laid  his  hand  on  it.  It  was  locked.  He  called 
her  name.  There  was  no  answer.  Each  little  thing, 
each  resistance  made  his  anger  mount  higher,  aug- 
mented the  state  of  turmoil  he  was  in.  He  drew  back 
a  little  from  the  gate,  then  jumped  over  it,  feeling 
he  could  have  leapt  over  one  a  hundred  times  higher, 
and  began  to  scour  the  silent,  scented  ways  of  the 
garden. 

The  birds  called  over  his  head,  the  fragrance  came 
in  clouds  to  meet  him,  he  noticed  nothing. 


94         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

Suddenly,  as  his  quick  feet  carried  him  down  one  of 
the  darkest  rose  alleys,  he  came  upon  Regina.  She 
was  asleep  on  a  little  bank,  in  the  deep  shade,  almost 
invisible  under  the  drooping  boughs  of  a  laburnum, 
that  poured  its  golden  treasure  to  the  ground. 

With  a  single  step  he  was  beside  her,  he  had  caught 
her  into  his  arms.  She  awoke  to  find  herself  clasped 
to  his  breast,  her  face  being  covered  with  wild,  fierce 
kisses. 

"  You  are  mine.  You  cannot  and  shall  not  belong 
to  anyone  else  .  .  .  ! " 

The  garden  held  them  —  that  magic  garden  that 
waved  and  bloomed  in  quiet  peace,  far  from  the  riot 
of  the  hard  and  noisy  world.  Far  more  beautiful 
than  any  cathedral's  were  its  green  and  shaded  aisles ; 
more  beautiful  than  the  anthem's  roll  its  exquisite 
melody  of  rejoicing  birds;  more  sweet  its  perfume 
than  incense,  and  Nature  breathed  over  her  children 
there  a  greater  blessing  than  man  can  ever  give. 

Three  hours  later  Everest  came  back  to  the  Rec- 
tory; he  went  straight  up  to  his  room,  turned  the 
key  in  his  door,  and  threw  himself  face  downwards 
on  his  bed. 

He  knew  he  ought  to  feel  regret,  to  wish  his  action 
undone,  to  feel  fear  of  future  ill,  but  he  could  not; 
still  less  was  any  sense  of  reaction,  of  revolt,  familiar 
to  him  in  similar  situations,  near  him  now. 

From  head  to  foot,  one  great  pulse  of  elation,  sat- 
isfaction, joy  and  triumph  beat  through  him.  She 
was  his,  and  those  moments  had  been  his  —  moments 
unequalled  before  in  all  his  life  of  varied  success  with 
women.  He  recalled  the  scene  with  wondering  ec- 


THE  GIFT  95 

stasy :  the  beauty  of  the  garden,  the  transfigured  face 
of  the  girl,  the  pure,  unclouded  rapture  of  those  lus- 
trous eyes,  as  she  yielded  to  his  arms,  the  radiant 
glory  of  all  the  air  about  them,  its  intoxicating,  fra- 
grant stillness.  Was  the  garden  really  enchanted,  as 
she  called  it.  What  was  she,  this  girl?  Was  she  a 
goddess  who  had  descended  to  his  embrace?  In  the 
proud  joy  of  her  self-surrender,  in  the  ecstatic  pas- 
sion of  her  kiss,  in  the  glamour  of  poetry  and  beauty 
she  threw  over  every  action  which  with  other  women 
was  so  commonplace,  she  seemed  to  be. 

Of  their  act  she  had  made  a  thing  akin  with  beauty, 
with  radiance,  with  light,  and  he  could  only  feel  glori- 
fied, as  he  saw  she  did. 

Innocently,  grandly,  full  of  a  fervent  delight  in 
him,  as  she  had  in  beauty,  she  had  given  herself  to 
him,  as  Venus  might  have  given  herself  to  Anchises; 
he  could  think  of  no  other  simile. 

And  to  the  tender  love  he  had  felt  invade  his  soul 
for  her  in  those  after  moments  which  to  some  are  so 
bitter,  he  could  find  no  parallel  in  all  his  former  ex- 
istence. 

His  one  desire  was  to  hold  her  again  in  his  arms, 
though  he  had  so  lately  left  her,  to  feel  the  tender 
bosom  strain  against  his,  to  gaze  into  the  wonderful 
light  and  fire  of  those  eyes. 

This  ecstatic  state,  this  empire  of  mere  nature, 
which  knows  nothing  of  convention,  nor  the  ways  and 
laws  of  the  world,  over  him ;  this  delight  of  the  senses, 
the  afterglow,  as  it  were,  of  passion,  remained  with 
him  all  the  night,  and  then  with  the  white  light  of 
the  dawn  came  a  horrible  sense  of  dismay. 

What  had  he  done?     He  had  allowed  the  torrent 


96        THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

of  his  own  wishes,  his  own  desire,  to  sweep  him  over 
the  brink  of  disaster,  and  he  had  dragged  this  inno- 
cent, loving  creature  with  him.  Some  men,  in  similar 
circumstances,  blame  the  woman ;  Everest  only  cursed 
himself,  as  he  sprang  from  his  bed  to  face  the  coming 
day. 

This  bright,  young  life,  so  full  of  wonderful  talent, 
this  beautiful,  fresh  flower,  only  just  opened  to  the 
sunlight  of  life,  he  had  sacrificed  to  himself,  to  his 
passion  and  pleasure  of  an  hour.  It  seemed  incredi- 
ble to  him,  as  he  thought  of  it,  that  he  could  have 
been  so  selfish,  so  weak,  so  vile. 

What  was  there  in  that  maddening  garden  that 
stole  away  all  sense  of  the  outside  world,  and  seemed 
to  whisper  that  man  was  not  the  trained  puppet  of 
the  wretched,  artificial  sphere  he  has  created,  but  the 
free,  natural,  joyous  creature  Nature  intended  him 
to  be? 

Man  must  always  remember  that  Tie  is  &  puppet, 
and  a  slave,  and  that  the  laws  of  Nature  now  exist  no 
longer  for  him.  He  in  his  blindness  has  made  other 
and  contrary  laws,  which  he  has  to  obey. 

Regina?  What  of  her?  What  of  this  waking 
hour  for  her?  She  had  not  appeared  at  dinner  the 
previous  night.  He  had  not  seen  her  since  leaving 
her  in  the  garden.  Was  she  suffering  as  he  was? 
He  longed  to  see  her,  to  speak  to  her.  .  .  .  Were 
those  glorious  eyes  clouded  by  tears?  Was  that 
sweet,  smiling  face  convulsed  in  misery?  It  was  like 
iron  twisting  in  his  heart  to  think  of  it. 

He  felt  as  if  he  had  taken  a  swift,  joyous  swallow, 
just  rising  to  the  sun,  and  broken  both  its  wings,  and 
thrown  it  to  the  ground,  to  die.  He  loathed  himself. 


THE  GIFT  97 

He  dressed  rapidly,  made  himself  some  tea  with  his 
own  lamp,  and  then  sat  down  by  the  window,  thinking. 
The  girl  was  just  above  him;  if  he  could  only  go  to 
her,  see  her,  find  out  what  she  was  thinking,  feeling. 

Other  episodes  with  women  had  affected  him  dif- 
ferently. In  nearly  all  it  had  been  possible  to  com- 
pensate the  woman  in  some  way,  or  else  she  was  in 
some  invulnerable  position  of  safety,  where  their 
deeds  would  not  react  upon  her.  But  Regina?  He 
foresaw  every  possible  kind  of  suffering  for  her  in  the 
future,  and  no  reparation  could  be  offered  her- — 
except  —  marriage.  .  .  . 

Yes,  the  thought  came  whirling  into  his  disordered 
brain  with  stunning  force.  He  had  the  power  to 
change  everything  for  her.  If  she  were  in  tears,  he 
could  dry  them  instantly;  if  her  heart  was  beating 
with  fear,  he  could  allay  all  its  terror.  He  could  not 
undo  what  he  had  done,  but  he  could  go  farther  and, 
as  far  as  she  was  concerned,  give  her  complete  pro- 
tection and  happiness.  As  he  thought  of  her,  as  she 
had  been  last  evening,  in  the  soft  shades  of  the  garden, 
as  her  image  came  before  him,  radiant,  inspiring, 
irresistible,  in  those  moments  of  ecstasy,  he  thought 
he  would  do  that.  It  was  not  what  he  had  thought 
of,  wished  or  desired,  when  he  had  come  there;  but 
neither  was  this.  To  enter  his  friend's  home  wel- 
comed by  all,  and  then  to  steal  the  fairest  ornament 
there,  to  leave  misery  and  wretchedness  where  he  had 
found  joyous  innocence,  unquestioning  love  and 
trust.  .  .  . 

No,  he  could  not  do  this.  A  sense  of  being  dis- 
honoured, if  he  did,  came  over  him.  Never  in  his 
life  yet  had  he  done  a  mean  or  cruel  action,  and  some- 


98         THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

how,  looked  at  in  all  its  lights,  this  seemed  to  be 
both. 

Well,  he  would  do  that ;  he  would  give  up  all  other 
views  and  thoughts  for  his  future,  and  he  would 
marry  Regina. 

This  resolve  came  rolling  into  his  mind  on  the  flood- 
tide  of  his  troubled  thoughts,  and  found  a  harbour 
there. 

It  was  easier  for  it  to  do  so,  because  of  the  very 
real  passion  he  had  for  her.  Of  all  the  women  he  had 
known,  none  had  given  him  a  greater  joy  than  she 
had,  and  the  idea  of  possessing  her,  and  her  love  and 
youth,  ajid  all  her  passionate  impulses,  chaining  them 
to  himself  only,  had  its  seduction. 

Everest  had  reached  the  meridian  of  his  years,  and 
already,  through  the  green  woods  of  his  life,  was 
stealing  the  cold  whisper  of  the  coming  winter  of  age, 
but  with  Regina  he  forgot  it ;  she  seemed  to  enwrap 
him  in  her  eighteen  years,  to  hold  the  cup  of  elixir  of 
eternal  youth  to  his  lips.  With  her  warm  arms  about 
him,  her  fresh,  joyful  heart  beating  on  his,  it  seemed 
the  spring  of  life  must  always  stay  with  him.  He 
could  not  part  with  her,  he  would  keep  her,  and  know 
again  and  again  with  her  those  happy  hours  that  were 
worth  all  the  world  could  give.  Full  of  the  new  de- 
termination, he  rose,  and  going  over  to  the  mantel- 
piece he  closed  the  open  velvet  case  that  contained 
the  perfect  face,  the  delicate,  cameo-like  features  of 
his  cousin,  and  laid  it  away  amongst  other  cases, 
books  and  papers.  That  idea  was  over;  that  matter 
•was  of  the  past. 

He  found  his  writing  materials  and  wrote  a  few 
lines  to  Regina. 


THE  GIFT  99 

He  did  not  see  her  till  she  came  in  at  the  last 
moment  before  luncheon,  and  took  her  place  at  the 
table.  He  felt  afraid  to  look  much  at  her,  lest  his 
eyes  should  in  any  way  betray  him  to  the  others,  but 
one  glance  at  her  face  told  him  that  she  looked  pale, 
and  as  if  she  had  not  slept  much  the  previous  night. 

Time  seemed  a  blank  until  the  hour  arrived  when  he 
could  start  for  his  afternoon  walk,  and  then  he 
hastened  his  steps  as  much  as  possible,  dreading  some 
interruption,  some  hindrance  to  seeing  her.  He  felt 
he  could  not  exist  longer,  unless  he  could  have  speech 
with  her.  When  he  came  in  sight  of  the  garden  he 
saw  the  door  stood  open,  and  beyond  it,  against  the 
deep  green  within,  her  white  lace  dress  was  visible. 
He  hurried  forward,  and  in  another  moment  the  gate 
was  shut  upon  them  and  their  embrace.  She  had 
come  to  meet  him.  She  was  not,  as  he  had  tortured 
himself  by  imagining,  tear-stained,  broken  and  droop- 
ing, full  of  sadness  and  reproaches.  She  was  smiling, 
fresh,  radiant,  as  usual,  with  her  face  full  now  of 
rose  and  pearl,  lifted  to  his,  and  her  soft  arms  tightly 
twined  round  his  neck. 

They  walked  a  few  steps  farther,  into  the  deepest 
recesses  of  the  place,  and  he  told  her  all  he  had  suf- 
fered, and  how  he  hated  himself  for  his  selfishness, 
and  how  his  only  thought  now  was  to  efface  it  all 
from  her  mind  by  their  marriage  as  soon  as  possible. 

"  I  think  we  will  go  up  to  town  together,  and  we 
will  marry  there.  What  do  you  say  ?  " 

His  face  was  very  pale  as  he  spoke  the  decisive 
words  —  words  that  had  never  passed  his  lips  to  any 
woman  before,  and  that  he  had  always  thought 
Vaguely  he  would  say  some  day  in  such  different  cir- 


cumstances  —  circumstances  where  they  would  mean 
linking  himself  to  brilliant,  worldly  prospects,  to 
landed  possessions,  to  high  lineage,  to  a  family  old  as 
his  own ;  and  now  they  were  being  said  to  this  simple 
girl,  who  had  none  of  these,  and  not  even  that  sur- 
prising beauty  which  sometimes  outweighs  them  all. 

She  had  conquered  him  where  other  women  all  his 
life  long  had  tried  and  tried  in  vain.  Why  was  it? 
Unless  this  ground  on  which  they  walked  were  indeed 
enchanted.  As  is  the  case  with  so  many  men,  love 
and  marriage  stood  widely  separated  in  his  mind. 
Love  was  a  wonderful,  passionate  pleasure,  which  had 
been  his  companion  all  his  life.  Marriage  was  a 
stupid  business  arrangement,  that  he  might  have  to 
make  some  time,  because  certain  practical  advan- 
tages went  with  it. 

He  had  immense  property  to  leave  behind  him,  and 
as  he  entertained  the  usual  family  dislike  of  all  his 
brothers  and  sisters,  he  would  have  preferred  to  have 
a  legitimate  son  to  whom  it  would  go,  but  it  had  been 
urged  upon  him,  ever  since  he  could  remember,  that 
to  marry  was  "  his  duty,"  and  as  he  had  always 
found  the  "  duties  "  discovered  for  him  by  others 
were  extremely  disagreeable,  he  had  come  naturally 
to  have  a  very  real  distaste  for  it.  No  one  had  sug- 
gested to  him  that  marriage  meant,  or  could  or  ought 
to  mean,  pleasure. 

Pleasure  and  sin  were  always  jumbled  together, 
and  held  before  his  eyes,  through  his  childhood  and 
youth,  in  his  severe  Scottish  home,  and  marriage  was 
associated  with  duty,  with  constraint,  with  bondage, 
with  monetary  considerations,  and  nothing  else;  with 
everything  that  he  most  hated. 


THE  GIFT  101 

'And  the  result  of  this  training  had  been  far  from 
what  his  stern  family  would  have  wished.  The  Ori- 
ental youth,  who  leads  a  cleaner  life  than  English 
youths,  and  is  a  stranger  to  dissipation,  is  taught 
differently.  Marriage  to  him  is  not  represented  as  a 
holy  penance,  involving  renunciation  and  sacrifice, 
but  as  the  only  gate  to  supreme  delight.  In  all 
Eastern  languages  the  word  for  marriage  is  identical 
with  the  word  for  pleasure. 

Does  it  not  seem  a  wiser  method  ? 

So  that,  considering  his  upbringing,  it  was  no  won- 
der that  Everest's  face  paled  and  his  heart  sank  as  he 
pronounced  the  dismal  word  "  marry,"  which  had 
always  seemed  to  him  to  mean  the  end  of  everything, 
the  termination  of  freedom,  the  finishing  of  pleasure, 
the  dismissal  of  love,  only  to  be  compensated  for  by 
great  worldly  gain.  And  here  there  was  no  gain. 
His  feet  had  somehow  got  entangled  in  the  horrid 
mesh  at  last.  Yet,  as  he  glanced  at  the  girl  beside 
him>  so  bright,  with  her  springing  step,  her  rose-like 
face  and  her  wide,  innocent  eyes,  he  could  not  feel  that 
she  had  spread  it  for  him,  as  others  had  done  in  vain. 
No,  he  had  courted  disaster,  and  himself  pulled  it 
down  upon  his  head. 

Regina  stopped  in  her  walk,  and  looked  up  at  him. 

What  loveliness  in  those  blue  eyes,  full  of  the  sky 
and  heaven's  own  light. 

"  No,  Everest,  I  am  not  going  to  marry  you." 

The  man  could  never  recall  exactly  what  his  feel- 
ings were  as  he  heard  her.  Amaze  was  certainly  the 
first,  then  a  sort  of  relief,  then  disappointment,  and 
then,  so  strange  is  humanity,  a  nascent  desire  that 
they  should  marry  after  all, 


102       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

"But,  my  darling,  why  not?  " 

"  Because  you  don't  really  wish  it ;  you  ask  me 
because  you  think  it  is  your  duty,  after  what  has 
happened.  But  I  have  given  you  my  love  and  myself 
as  free  gifts,  not  at  a  price  that  you  must  pay.  I 
have  no  price.  No  one  can  buy  me,  either  by  mar- 
riage or  anything  else.  Most  women  have;  the 
women  of  the  town  bargain  for  so  many  shillings  be- 
fore they  give  themselves;  the  women  of  our  class 
bargain  for  marriage  and  settlements,  for  a  home,  for 
fixed  income,  for  the  chained  servitude  to  them,  for 
all  his  lif e,  of  the  man  they  say  they  love ;  but  I  feel 
differently,  Everest."  And  she  turned  to  him  sud- 
denly, stopping  under  the  branch  of  the  swaying 
palm;  her  eyes  were  alight,  her  form  seemed  to  ex- 
pand and  heighten,  red  shafts  of  the  sunlight  sought 
out  her  hair  and  rested  there,  crowning  her  with  light. 
"  I  have  given  you  what  I  have  given.  There  is  noth- 
ing I  want  from  you.  I  have  given  you  myself,  and 
you  have  given  me  passion  and  intense,  overwhelming 
happiness.  I  do  not  want,  and  I  will  not  accept,  any- 
thing more." 

Everest  looked  back  at  her  and  could  not  take  his 
eyes  away.  As  in  the  first  hour  of  their  passion,  she 
seemed  less  to  him  like  a  woman  than  a  goddess,  an 
immortal.  To  talk  of  worldly  things  to  her,  to  think 
of  them  in  her  presence,  seemed  suddenly  absurd.  In 
his  own  room,  while  thinking  of  her,  she  had  seemed 
a  helpless  girl,  whom  he  had  injured,  and  was  bound 
in  honour  to  protect.  Face  to  face  with  her  now,  in 
the  garden,  she  seemed  an  all-powerful  divinity,  who 
had  bestowed  upon  him  gifts  that  had  no  earthly 
price.  The  vivid  sky  above  them  enveloped  her  with 


THE  GIFT  103 

light,  turning  her  white  clothing  into  gold,  and  her 
fair  hair  into  flame,  the  red  glow  of  it  fell  across  the 
smooth  pallor  of  her  face  and  shone  in  the  wide-open 
eyes,  regarding  him  with  proud,  fearless  confidence. 

He  felt  silenced,  abashed,  confused,  with  a  still 
more  violent  passion  waking  within  him  for  her,  now 
that  she  seemed  to  hold  herself  aloof  from  him  full  of 
conscious  power,  self-reliant,  seeking  and  asking 
nothing  from  him.  Like  most  men,  Everest  felt  a  sort 
of  instinctive  intolerance  of  women  who  clung  to  him, 
pursued  him.  He  was  kind  to  them,  for  that  was  his 
nature,  but  his  own  passion  and  desire  began  to  wane 
the  moment  its  object  seemed  to  be  clinging  depend- 
ently  to  him.  The  wild  spring  towards  liberty,  the 
elastic  rebound  of  the  captive  in  his  arms,  were  what 
stirred  the  fiercest  fires  within  him,  nerved  him  to 
the  greatest  efforts  to  hold  her  to  him.  Now,  look- 
ing at  the  passionate,  beautiful  form  of  the  woman 
before  him,  and  understanding  that  she  neither  wished 
to  curtail  his  freedom  nor  give  up  her  own,  he  really 
felt  he  would  like  to  lead  her  to  church,  and  there  bind 
her  to  him  fast,  by  all  the  laws  that  man  and  God 
could  devise.  He  advanced  towards  her  with  one  of 
those  quick,  easy  movements  that  always  wrapped  her 
in  delight  when  she  saw  them,  and  brought  the  red 
deer  of  Exmoor  to  her  mind. 

He  took  her  arms  above  the  elbows;  through  the 
muslin  she  was  wearing  he  could  feel  their  soft  firm- 
ness, their  satin  surface.  How  the  touch  thrilled 
him,  and  her  also!  The  electric  shock  of  joy  in  the 
contact  was  so  great  to  them  both  that  neither  could 
speak  or  move  for  the  moment,  but  each  stood  motion- 
less, gazing  into  the  other's  transfigured  face. 


104       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

"  But,  Regina,  I  wish  it !  I  want  you  to  marry 
me!" 

"  Then  you  should  have  asked  me  before,  when  you 
first  said  you  loved  me,  and  I  would  have  consented, 
to  obtain  the  j  oy  of  giving  myself  to  you.  Now  it  is 
too  much  like  paying  a  price,  too  much  as  if  you  felt 
obliged  to  offer  me  some  reparation,  too  much  as  if  I 
had  led  you  into  accepting  gifts  from  me,  knowing 
that  you  would  feel  bound  in  honour  to  pay  for  them 
afterwards.  Marriage  was  not  in  your  mind  when 
you  came  here,  not  when  you  saw  me,  not  when  you 
desired  me.  You  wished  to  go  away  and  I  persuaded 
you  to  stay.  Yes,  but  not  to  obtain  anything  from 
you,  Everest,  only  to  give.  .  .  .  To  give  to  you.  .  .  . 
And,  if  you  knew  what  supreme  delight  you  have 
given  me,  what  these  hours  in  this  garden  have  been  to 
me,  you  would  know  there  is  no  debt,  no  need  for 
reparation.  ...  If  I  have  to  pay  with  my  life  for 
them,  which  is  quite  possible,  I  am  ready  to  pay." 

Everest  drew  her  close  up  to  his  breast,  and  held 
her  there  tightly. 

"  My  sweet,  don't  say  such  things.  As  long  as  I 
am  in  the  world,  nothing  shall  ever  hurt  you.  Say 
you  will  come  up  to  town  now,  and  marry  me.  ...  It 
will  make  me  much  happier." 

He  looked  down  on  the  radiant,  light-crowned  head 
pressed  against  his  breast  and  thought  again  of  the 
mortal  Anchises  when  the  goddess  stooped  to  his 
kiss. 

"  Of  course  I  will  do  anything  you  wish,  if  you 
continue  to  wish  it,  a  little  later,  but  not  now.  You 
shall  not  feel  that,  like  Medea,  I  have  thrown  enchant- 


THE  GIFT  105 

ment  over  you,  and  made  you  do  what  you  never 
planned." 

Everest  was  silent,  lost  in  a  maze  of  wondering 
thought.  He  saw  he  had  been  right  in  his  estimation 
of  Regina.  She  had  not  the  ordinary  modern  mind, 
which  measures  everything  by  the  standards  of  the 
world  and  of  convention.  She  chose  to  do  what  she 
thought  was  right,  and  as  it  did  not  seem  to  her  right 
to  accept  him  she  would  not  do  so,  overwhelming  as 
the  advantage  to  herself  would  be,  horrible  in  its  risks 
and  dangers,  its  ruin,  according  to  all  worldly  ideas, 
as  her  position  without  it  now  was.  She  had,  as  he 
had  thought,  just  the  soul  of  Regulus,  who  gave  him- 
self up  to  the  Carthaginian  tortures  rather  than 
speak  a  few  words  of  false  advice  to  Rome.  How  he 
admired  her,  loved  her !  He  realised  the  greatness  of 
her  feelings  towards  him.  She  had  perfect,  absolute 
trust  in  him,  as  she  had  shown  from  the  first.  She 
was  willing  to  pay  the  highest  price  herself  for  his 
love,  and  yet  shield  him  from  paying  in  the  smallest 
coin.  How  different,  how  utterly  different  from  all 
the  women  he  had  ever  known !  There  was  not  one 
among  those  who  had  not  fought  and  scrambled  and 
clutched  for  self-advantage,  self-gain  —  not  one  who, 
in  spite  of  her  love  for  him,  would  not  have  willingly 
sacrificed  him  to  herself. 

Regina,  like  her  name,  had  come  to  him  from  Latin 
times. 

He  put  his  arm  round  her,  and  they  sat  down  to- 
gether, very  close,  sheltered  by  the  laburnum,  and 
the  doves  flew  down,  and  walked,  cooing,  on  the  velvet 
moss  at  their  feet.  They  talked  of  their  plans,  and 


106       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

Everest  got  her  to  promise  this  much,  that  if,  when 
he  had  been  away  from  her  some  time,  living  his  own 
life,  amongst  his  own  people,  if  he  then  asked  her 
again,  perhaps  she  would  consent  to  marry  him. 

"  You  see,  my  very  dearest,"  she  said,  in  that  soft 
voice  of  hers,  which  always  stirred  his  senses,  "  if  you 
still  wish  it  we  will  do  it,  but,  if  you  do  change,  how 
much  better  for  you  not  to  have  married  me  now !  " 

"  And  better  for  you  too  ?  "  he  asked. 

"No,  no,  no!  You  know,  just  for  myself,  there 
would  be  nothing  in  the  world  better  for  me  than  to 
marry  you,"  she  returned  passionately.  "  Everest, 
there  is  no  need  for  me  to  tell  you  that,  surely  ?  You 
must  see  how  it  all  appears  to  me.  .  .  .  You  are  so 
wonderful,  so  exceptional ! .  .  .  I  feel  you  ought  to 
have  the  very  best  and  loveliest  woman  who  ever 
existed.  .  .  ." 

"  Have  I  not  got  her  here  ?  "  returned  Everest,  with 
equal  passion,  leaning  over  her,  and  kissing  her  on  the 
mouth  and  eyes,  so  that  she  could  neither  breathe  nor 
see.  "  You  try  to  make  me  the  most  conceited  man 
in  the  world,  but  I  have  sense  enough  left  to  know  I 
am  not  half  worthy  of  you." 

Regina  yielded  herself  up  to  his  caresses,  nestling 
close  against  his  breast,  her  lips  on  the  warm  brown 
of  his  neck,  above  his  collar. 

"  Listen,"  she  whispered,  "  I  want  you  to  listen  to 
me.  I  have  just  this  one  quality  that  is  good:  I 
love  you  so  intensely,  so  absorbingly,  that  myself  is 
nothing  to  me  beside  you.  It  is  very  difficult  to  put 
the  absolute  extremes  of  emotion  into  words,  but  I 
love  you  so  much  that  when  I  think  of  you  my  own 
life,  my  own  happiness  means  nothing  to  me,  beside 


THE  GIFT-  107 

yours.  You  must  be  happy,  that's  all  that  matters. 
Nothing  else  is  of  any  account  at  all.  If  I  can  in 
any  way  make  you  happy  that  would  be  my  greatest 
delight,  as  it  has  been  already ;  but  I  am  not  sure  I 
should  be  really  doing  that  by  marrying  you,  and 
until  I  am  sure,  I  won't  do  it.  I  am  after  all  only  a 
country  rector's  daughter,  without  any  special  birth, 
position  or  beauty.  .  .  .  No  —  hush,"  she  said,  put- 
ting her  hand  over  his  mouth,  as  he  tried  to  interrupt 
her.  "  I  am  only  beautiful  just  now,  because  I  am 
young  and  in  love  with  you  —  blazing  with  love  for 
you  in  every  vein.  That  fire  lights  up  my  eyes  and 
paints  my  cheeks  and  lips,  and  makes  me  look  beau- 
tiful, but  that  is  your  gift,"  she  interrupted  herself 
passionately,  kissing  him  on  his  black  hair,  above  the 
ear,  "  you  have  given  me  that  beauty.  ...  It  is  not 
the  stone-cut  massive  regularity  that  the  world  calls 
beauty,  and  so,  when  your  friends  saw  me  as  your 
wife  they  would  say:  *  Why  has  he  married  her? 
He  must  have  been  trapped  in  some  way  —  she  is  only 
this ;  she  is  only  that  —  she  has  no  this,  and  no  that,' 
and  perhaps,  after  a  time,  you  might  get  to  feel  so 
too.  And  it  would  kill  me,  simply,  nothing  else,  to  see 
you  regretted  marrying  me.  You  came  here  as  our 
guest,  and  we  all,  as  hosts,  have  a  sacred  duty  towards 
you.  I  want  you  to  go  away  as  absolutely  free  and 
untied  as  when  you  came,  free  to  marry,  if  you  wish, 
some  rich  great,  wonderful  person,  your  equal,  who 
has  magnificent  beauty  and  everything  else  to  offer 
you." 

"  Do  you  think  that  I  could  do  that  now,  after 
yesterday?  Marry  another  woman  and  put  her  in 
the  place  that  belongs  to  you?  I  feel  now  I  shall 


108       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

never  care  to  take  another  woman  in  my  arms  again. 
You  were  so  sweet  to  me,  so  unquestioning,  so  trust- 
ing, and  I  acted  so  badly,  I  shall  never  forgive  my- 
self !  It  is  not  you  that  tie  me,  my  own  action  binds 
me." 

Regina  raised  herself  with  a  quick  spring  in  his 
clasp. 

"  Whatever  obligation  there  was,  if  there  were 
any,"  she  said  in  a  low  tone,  "  is  paid  in  full  now  by 
your  offer  and  my  refusal.  Yesterday  was  a  gift  to 
you,  a  gift,  a  gift,  a  gift,"  she  repeated,  with  hot 
kisses  on  his  hand  at  each  word,  "  just  as  I  would 
give  my  life  itself  to  you,  if  you  wanted  it." 

"  There  must  be  many  days  like  yesterday,  and 
you  can  give  me  something  else,  which  no  other  woman 
can,  when  we  are  married,  for  we  will  marry  what- 
ever you  say." 

"  What  could  I  give  you  ?  "  she  asked,  with  a  swift, 
eager  note  in  her  voice. 

"  A  son,"  returned  Everest,  kissing  her  question- 
ing lips,  "  just  like  yourself,  all  courage  and  fire,  and 
strength,  in  body  and  mind.  Would  you  like  that, 
my  sweet?  " 

She  clasped  her  arms  tightly  round  his  neck. 

"  Anything  done  for  you  would  be  my  greatest, 
my  supreme  delight !  Do  you  wish  for  children,  Ev- 
erest? " 

"  No,  not  personally,  but  there  is  the  property.  I 
must  have  a  legitimate  son  or  let  it  all  go  to  my 
brother.  I  should  hate  to  have  a  weak,  mindless, 
feeble  child,  which  could  never  happen  if  Regina  were 
its  mother!  So  if,  when  my  visit  here  ends,  I  go 
away  to  Scotland  for  some  weeks,  as  I  must  do  to 


.  THE  GIFT  109 

look  after  my  place,  when  I  come  back,  you  will  marry 
me,  will  you  not  ?  " 

"  If  you  wish  it  —  yes,"  she  murmured. 

"  The  suffering,  the  sacrifices,  the  danger  of  ma- 
ternity, that  does  not  frighten  you  ?  " 

"  No,  I  am  not  afraid  of  anything,  Everest." 

He  looked  into  her  eyes,  and  in  their  blue  depths  he 
saw  that  cool,  serene  courage  that  he  loved,  that  made 
his  heart  throb  with  admiration,  with  some  sentiment 
which  it  was  new  for  him  to  feel  for  a  woman. 

He  wanted  to  tell  her  this,  but  he  could  not  at  the 
moment  find  words  in  which  to  define  and  express  it ; 
so  in  silence  he  kissed  her  again,  where  the  sun  dart- 
ing through  the  leaves  lighted  up  the  pink  down  of 
her  cheek,  and,  as  is  the  way  with  lovers,  all  their 
talk  melted  into  caresses,  and  their  arguments  became 
kisses,  and  every  thought  and  emotion  were  soon 
merged  into  mere  overwhelming  delight  in  each  other. 

The  golden  hours  went  by,  and  nothing  came  to 
disturb  them  in  their  solitude  until  the  evening  light, 
a  most  gentle  messenger,  stole  through  the  blossoms 
in  a  rosy  glow,  warning  them  that  they  must  part. 

Everest  rose  after  one  last  strenuous  passionate 
embrace,  and  as  she  saw  him  standing  above  her,  his 
brilliant  face  flushed  and  smiling,  his  dark  eyes  kin- 
dling with  elation,  she  felt  that  this  life  had  given  her 
her  due,  if  it  gave  no  more.  When  he  had  gone  she 
lay  still  for  a  little  while  longer  in  the  shadow. 

"  I  was  right  to  refuse  to  marry  him.  I  am  sure  I 
was  right.  If  he  loves  me  he  will  still  wish  it.  If  not, 
it  is  I  who  will  suffer,  not  he,  and  he  will  know  —  he 
must  know  now  — :  that  I  only  care  about  him,  that  I 
would  die  for  his  happiness,"  she  thought  vaguely* 


mistily,  for  she  was  tired  and  would  have  liked  to  stay 
there,  half  waking,  half  dreaming  of  him. 

It  was  with  a  great  effort  that  she  got  up  a  little 
later  and  walked  slowly  back  to  the  Rectory. 

With  dressing  for  dinner  and  appearing  reasonably 
conversational  at  the  meal,  Everest  had  not  much  time 
for  quiet  thought  until  late  that  night  when  he  was 
going  to  bed.  Then,  as  his  mind  reverted  to  the 
afternoon,  the  stupendous  unselfishness  of  Regina's 
attitude  came  before  him.  If  a  girl  refused  such  a 
marriage  with  a  man  to  whom  she  was  indifferent,  the 
refusal  would  be  remarkable  for  its  negation  of  so 
much  worldly  good ;  but  for  one  filled  with  intense  and 
passionate  desire  for  the  man  who  offered  it,  such  a 
refusal  must  need  the  most  heroic  courage,  the  great- 
est steadfastness  of  purpose,  the  highest  fortitude,  the 
acme  of  devotion.  He  sat  in  his  room,  absorbed  in 
the  contemplation  of  it,  unable  to  go  to  bed,  unable 
to  sleep,  feeling  compelled  to  study  this  new  light  on  a 
woman's  love. 

It  was  worth  while  conquering  and  winning  and 
possessing  a  woman  like  that.  All  his  blood  glowed 
within  him  as  he  thought  of  the  greatness  of  that 
character,  the  largeness  and  the  splendour  of  that  soul 
that  had  yielded  to  his  influence,  that  had  submitted 
so  unquestioningly  to  him.  He  had  been  accustomed 
to  view  women  somewhat  as  soft  and  pretty  kittens, 
liable  to  scratch  and  bite  sometimes  in  their  little 
tempers,  but,  on  the  whole,  caressable  and  lovable, 
charming  to  indulge  and  to  fondle ;  but  he  had  often 
thought  vaguely  how  differently  he  could  feel  for 
another  type,  how  glad  he  would  be  if  a  wild  lioness, 
full  of  her  splendid  strength  and  mettle  and  independ- 


THE  GIFT  111 

ence,  sprang  across  his  path  and  became  gentle  and 
tame  to  him.  Caressing  a  lioness  he  would  like  much 
better  than  stroking  a  kitten.  And  this  now  had 
actually  happened !  He  knew  that  in  Regina,  under 
her  soft  and  beautiful  exterior,  lay  just  those  same 
wild,  brave  impulses,  that  contempt  for  the  dangers 
of  life,  that  enthusiasm  for  great  things  and  emotions 
that  burned  within  himself.  The  realisation  that  now 
he  had  made  this  soul  his  own,  that,  grand  though  it 
was,  it  now  virtually  knew  no  law  except  his  will  and 
his  pleasure,  seemed  to  send  waves  of  fire  through  his 
whole  being. 

When  he  at  last  went  to  bed  that  night,  it  was  only 
to  dream  of  her  as  she  had  stood  crowned  with  ruddy 
light  in  the  garden. 

The  golden  days  of  June  slipped  by  swiftly,  si- 
lently, vanishing  into  the  past  like  radiant  dreams, 
and  while  the  rest  of  the  household,  in  the  sleepy, 
creeper-covered  Rectory,  led  their  ordinary,  bovine 
existence  of  feeding  and  sleeping,  varied  by  their  un- 
bovine  petty  quarrelling,  these  two  at  least  lived  a 
life  of  which  every  hour  flew  off  to  Eternity  on  gilded, 
flame-coloured  wings.  When  two  such  deep  and 
strong  natures  as  Everest's  and  Regina's  come  to- 
gether and  mingle,  the  education  to  each,  the  inter- 
change and  interplay  of  emotion  and  feeling  are  very 
great.  And  as  each  lovely  day  of  sunshine,  or  gentle 
silver  rain,  or  turbulent  grey  cloud  wrought  imper- 
ceptible changes  in  the  nature  round  them,  added  dif- 
ferent notes  to  the  nightingales'  songs,  unclosed  new 
roses  and  ripened  fresh  blossom  on  the  lime  and  chest- 
nuts, ardently  leading  onward  and  upward  to  the 
glorious  perfection  of  midsummer,  so  did  each  day 


112       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

work  mysteriously  and  enchantingly  on  the  passion 
and  intimacy  of  these  two,  unfolding  fresh  impulses, 
new  thoughts,  striking  hidden  chords,  unveiling  deep 
recesses. 

This  period  for  them  was  different  in  its  gentle  and 
subtle  teaching,  in  its  gradual  drawing  away  of  the 
sacred  veil  that  floats  before  the  face  of  passion,  from 
the  conventional  honeymoon  with  its  abrupt  and 
violent  candour,  its  sudden  wrenching  down  of  all  the 
delicate  curtains  of  mystery,  of  idealism,  of  poetical 
fancy  which  fall  round  the  shrine  of  love.  In  a 
honeymoon  the  two  lovers  are  flung  suddenly  into  in- 
cessant contact,  absolute  isolation  with  each  other, 
from  which  they  cannot  escape,  as  one  might  push  a 
couple  of  prisoners  into  a  cell.  Every  obstacle,  every 
bar  between  them  that  has  till  now  raised  their  passion 
to  divine  heights  is  removed.  Every  duty,  every  work 
from  which  either  has  been  accustomed  to  receive 
moral  stimulus  and  support,  is  laid  aside,  every  diver- 
sion, every  amusement  and  occupation  taken  away. 
Night  and  day,  without  change,  without  rest,  they  are 
thrust  into  each  other's  arms.  Is  it  surprising  that 
when  the  moon  is  past  so  few  have  anything  but  utter 
satiety  to  show  for  it?  —  that  the  wonderful  flame  of 
love  that  lives  on  excitement,  danger,  privation,  ro- 
mance, difficulties,  should  for  ever  be  quenched  and 
put  out  ?  —  leaving  the  travellers  to  wander  on  down 
the  narrow  lane  of  marriage  without  its  sparkling, 
radiant  light  to  guide  them  in  its  dark  places. 

Everest  and  Regina  could  never  meet  except  by  the 
overcoming  of  difficulties,  by  planning,  by  suffering, 
between  periods  of  eager  waiting,  and  when  they  met 
the  parting  was  never  far  off,  the  possibility  of  dis- 


THE  GIFT  118 

covery,  of  interruption  always  present.  So  the  wild 
pleasure  of  their  first  embrace  lived  in  all  the  others, 
and  their  passion  for  each  other  increased,  as  a  fire 
blazes  all  the  more  fiercely  for  a  little  water  thrown 
on  to  it  and  other  futile  attempts  to  extinguish  it. 
For  the  girl,  life  had  suddenly  turned  into  the  mazes 
of  a  glorious  dream.  Her  ordinary  existence  of  hard 
work,  of  study,  stood  still.  She  mixed  with  the  rest 
of  the  family  and  did  such  tasks  and  duties  as  were 
required  of  her,  exactly  as  a  well-regulated  machine 
would  have  done,  her  real  life  for  herself  began  and 
ended  only  in  the  garden.  She  was  glad  that  she  had 
always  spent  so  much  time  there,  in  solitude  and  away 
from  the  others :  it  made  her  absences  from  home  now 
less  noticeable. 

She  would  start  for  the  garden  the  moment  after 
luncheon,  and  walk  with  the  books,  that  were  never 
opened,  clasped  to  her  as  usual,  through  the  hot,  silent 
noonday  slowly  towards  the  sea.  She  loved  to  reach 
the  garden  and  be  there  before  Everest,  so  that  she 
might  have  time  to  think  and  dream  there,  of  him 
alone.  At  this  scorching  hour  there  was  such  a  deep 
silence  in  the  thick  green  shades.  The  birds  were 
quiet,  taking  their  noontime  rest  after  their  ceaseless 
labours  since  the  first  grey  light  of  dawn;  the  doves 
even  sat  puffed  and  voiceless  in  and  about  their  cotes ; 
her  own  light  step  on  the  sandy  paths  was  the  only 
sound.  How  lovely  it  was  to  go  on,  past  the  lilac 
bushes,  of  which  the  blossom  was  now  over,  but  the 
leaves  were  still  fair  in  their  smooth,  neat  green,  be- 
tween the  round  and  bunchy  may-trees,  most  of  them 
still  laden  with  their  pink  and  white  snow  and  under 
the  hanging  veils  of  gold  of  the  laburnum,  until  she 


114       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

reached  the  green  turf  beneath  the  palm,  where  the 
roses,  so  luxuriant  in  their  June  growth,  no  longer 
stood,  as  in  the  winter,  like  girls  waiting  for  their 
partners,  but  joined  hands  with  each  other  and  danced 
merrily,  nodding  a  thousand  blooms  as  the  light 
breath  of  summer  passed  over  them.  Here  she  would 
sit  quietly,  feeling  her  heart  beating  tumultuously  at 
the  thought  that  he  was  coming  to  find  her  there,  that 
she  would  see  the  foliage  part  and  the  roses  give  way 
as  the  slim,  beautiful  figure  came  towards  her,  the 
green  shade  and  gold  light  alternately  falling  on  him. 
She  was  never  quite  sure  that  he  would  come.  There 
was  always  that  breathless  uncertainty  about  it  that 
is  so  painful  and  yet  so  delicious.  Anything  might 
occur  at  home  that  would  make  it  impossible  for  him 
to  insist  on  going  out  alone,  and  very  often  it  did 
happen  that  he  was  kept  and  delayed  at  the  last  mo- 
ment, and  Regina  waited  and  waited,  trembling  under 
the  roses,  her  cheek  flushing  and  paling,  her  bosom 
broken  up  by  her  heart-beats,  until  the  intensity  of 
longing  and  hoping  and  fearing  became  such  that 
when  he  did  appear  she  would  fall  into  his  arms  in  a 
passion  of  weeping  from  relief  and  delight. 

But  the  moments  before  he  came  and  before  she 
began  to  fear  that  he  would  not  come,  while  the  hour 
was  still  early,  and  she  sat  there  awaiting  him  in  her 
pretty  fresh  dress,  knowing  that  she  was  lovely  as  the 
flowers  themselves  in  the  tender  light  beneath  the 
trees,  were  very  dear  to  her.  She  lost  herself  in 
golden,  glowing  dreams  of  the  future:  she  would  be 
with  him;  they  would  wander  together  in  those  won- 
derful places  where  he  loved  to  go ;  she  would  be  beside 
him,  and  perhaps  danger  would  come  upon  him  and 


THE  GIFT  115 

she  would  be  able  to  protect  him,  save  him ;  perhaps 
she  would  have  the  supreme  privilege  of  dying  for  him. 
She  would  give  up  her  life,  oh,  how  gladly,  in  shielding 
him  from  pain  or  hurt ;  but  what  spoiled  the  happiness 
of  this  dream  was  the  knowledge  that  Everest  must 
suffer  by  her  death,  and  yet  that  idea  was  delicious 
too,  and  she  saw  into  his  nature  so  well,  she  knew  that 
he  too  would  think  nothing  of  his  life  if  called  upon  to 
give  it  for  her.  Fortunately,  dreams  are  not  exact- 
ing, they  do  not  make  demands  upon  our  logic.  They 
lull  us,  soothe  us  and  shut  us  in  with  rosy  mists  and 
lead  us  gently  along  soft,  golden  ways. 

Sometimes  all  night  she  could  not  sleep  for  the  joy 
of  thinking  of  the  morrow,  and  all  the  morning  she 
could  not  read,  nor  paint,  nor  play  for  thinking  of  the 
afternoon  and  looking  forward  to  the  moment  when; 
she  might  take  her  way  through  the  sleepy  Rectory 
garden  to  the  highroad  and  the  sea. 

Love  is  always  wonderful,  and  to  a  woman  always 
beautiful  and  entrancing,  no  matter  what  the  guise 
in  which  it  comes,  or  what  the  time  or  circumstances. 
If  it  comes  to  her  late,  when  her  face  has  lines  in  it 
which  cause  her  agony  lest  her  lover  should  perceive 
them,  if  her  lover  himself  is  a  very  imperfect  specimen 
of  humanity,  that  even  her  blinded  eyes  are  offended 
by,  even  then  love  still  gives  her  pleasure;  but  in 
Regina's  case  all  of  her  love's  setting  and  circum- 
stance was  as  lovely  as  love  itself  and  her  joy  was  un- 
clouded, exquisite,  complete.  Radiant  in  her  eighteen 
years,  she  had  no  burden  of  deceit  or  cares  or  fears ; 
she  could  lift  her  face  to  Everest  and  know  there  was 
nothing  there,  nor  in  her  heart,  that  she  dreaded  him 
to  find,  and  in  his  countenance  bending  over  her  there 


was  that  beauty,  that  perfection  that  gives  rapture  to 
the  eyes  as  a  melody  does  to  the  ears.  Often  return- 
ing from  the  garden,  through  the  sweet-scented 
meadows  in  the  long,  light  evenings,  those  calm  even- 
ings of  the  English  summer  which  seem  to  carry  mad- 
ness to  the  blood  of  youth,  after  a  long  and  happy 
afternoon  spent  with  him,  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  her 
head  was  light  with  joy,  as  if  her  brain  or  heart  must 
burst  with  the  excited  happiness  of  loving  and  being 
loved  by  such  a  man  as  this. 

In  the  soft  violet  dark  that  gathers  under  the  limes, 
she  would  stand  still,  drinking  in  the  fragrance  of  all 
the  grasses  rising  from  the  cooling  earth  and  listening 
to  the  triumphant  laugh  of  the  cuckoo  when  he  found 
at  last  his  mate  in  the  thorn  thicket  beside  her,  and 
the  call  of  the  nightingale  and  all  the  hundred  lesser 
voices  of  the  wood,  each  summoning  its  mate,  and 
would  realise  slowly  in  awed  wonder  that  she  too  now 
was  sharing  in  the  great  universal  joy  of  the  world. 
Sometimes  also  when  she  was  with  the  others,  and 
should  have  kept  her  mind  free  from  all  private 
thought,  irresistibly  the  memory  of  some  hour  in  the 
sheltered  garden  would  come  over  her  with  such  force 
that  it  absolutely  shut  her  brain  and  senses  to  sur- 
rounding things.  Once  at  the  luncheon-table  her 
father  addressed  her  as  she  sat  towards  the  other  end 
and  her  ears  were  so  sealed  that  she  did  not  hear  his 
voice,  her  eyes  so  fixed  on  the  vision  they  saw  that  the 
figures  round  her,  the  wonder  growing  on  all  their 
faces  as  she  sat  immovable,  like  one  suddenly  deaf  and 
blind,  did  not  exist  for  her.  It  was  only  the  sense  of 
touch  that  remained  true  to  its  post,  guarding  the 
body,  whence  for  the  moment  the  mind,  on  Memory's 


THE  GIFT  117 

wings,  had  fled.  When  her  sister  Violet  tugged  at 
her  arm  to  rouse  her  she  started,  and  came  back  to 
herself  to  find  the  whole  table  gazing  upon  her  with 
various  degrees  of  amusement  and  surprise.  She 
flushed  scarlet,  to  herself  the  blood  seemed  to  get  into 
her  very  eyes  and  burn. 

"  Father  has  spoken  to  you  three  times,"  remarked 
Violet,  "  you  seem  quite  deaf."  Regina  apologised, 
beneath  her  drooping  lashes  over  her  burning  cheeks 
her  eyes  took  a  glance  at  Everest  opposite  her.  He 
was  smiling  too.  He  could  well  guess  where  her 
thoughts  had  been. 

After  that  she  tried  hard  never  to  think  of  all  this 
wonderful  inner  life  she  was  living,  except  when  alone, 
but  Love  was  sometimes  insistent  and  far  stronger 
than  she,  and  she  could  not  always  shut  the  door  of 
her  thoughts  upon  him.  So  one  day  when  she  was 
obliged  to  go  to  the  village  on  a  mission  for  her 
mother,  instead  of  to  the  garden,  she  lost  her  purse, 
and  the  eighteen  shillings  in  it,  and  could  never  re- 
member where  it  slipped  from  her  hand,  though  she 
had  never  lost  or  forgotten  it  in  her  life  before. 

And  to  Everest,  also,  this  time  was  very  full  of 
emotion,  charged  with  an  intensity  of  feeling  that  was 
new  to  him,  although  he  kept  his  wits  about  him  at 
luncheon  and  did  not  lose  his  purse.  There  were 
times  for  him,  too,  when  he  could  think  of  nothing 
but  Regina,  when  the  image  of  the  girl  came  before 
him  with  an  insistence  that  would  not  be  denied,  and 
swept  whatever  he  was  doing  aside  and  claimed  him 
for  its  own.  He  longed  to  have  her  with  him  and  for 
himself;  he  hated  the  long  separations  that  now 
intervened  often  between  their  meetings,  though  they 


118       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

were  in  reality  very  good  for  him  and  helped  to  make 
the  supreme  delight  of  those  moments  in  the  garden. 
The  day  of  his  departure  came  at  length  and  his 
face  grew  pale  and  his  heart  beat  painfully  when  he 
awoke  at  dawn  and  realised  he  had  to  leave  her.  It 
was  arranged  that  the  Rector  and  the  two  elder  girls 
should  drive  him  over  to  Stossop  station  in  the  landau, 
Regina  being  left  out,  as  usual,  of  any  general  pro- 
gramme. She  did  not  mind  —  their  real  good-byes 
had  been  exchanged  yesterday  under  the  whispering 
trees  of  the  garden.  An  exceptionally  lovely  day,  it 
was  like  the  centre  jewel  on  Summer's  forehead  in  her 
diadem  of  wondrous  days  and  nights.  Warm  and 
golden,  without  wind  or  cloud,  it  seemed  to  bless  the 
lovers  as  they  met  in  the  deep  hush  of  the  sheltered 
spot  and  walked  slowly,  side  by  side,  down  the  little 
narrow  winding  paths  covered  in  by  aloe  and  tamarisk 
and  climbing  giant  rose  towards  the  balustrade  above 
the  sea.  How  vital  and  life-giving  was  its  warm  salt 
breath  as  it  met  their  faces,  stealing  up  through  the 
thickets,  talking  to  them  of  its  cool,  seaweed-filled 
caves,  of  its  still  green  pools  teeming  with  infinite  life ; 
-and  at  last  they  came  in  sight  of  it,  calm  and  deeply 
purple,  swaying  and  heaving  gently  as  a  maiden's 
bosom,  under  a  rosy  golden  haze,  softly,  very  softly, 
traced  in  delicate  lilac  against  the  evening  sky  lay  the 
outlines  of  the  hills  across  the  bay;  colour  and  light 
were  jewel-like  in  their  transparency.  They  ap- 
proached the  porphyry  railing ;  but  Regina  could  not 
look  at  the  soft  loveliness  of  the  scene,  she  could  only 
gaze  up  at  him,  so  soon  to  be  taken  from  her.  Oh,  the 
ache  of  that  parting  now  it  had  come  so  near.  She 
could  have  gone  with  him,  claimed  him  openly,  spared 


THE  GIFT,  119 

herself  all  pain.  He  had  wished  it,  offered  it.  With 
a  single  word  now  she  could  be  free  from  suffering, 
she  could  keep  by  his  side.  For  a  moment  it  seemed 
to  her  she  must  speak  that  word ;  but  no,  she  held  to 
her  strength  with  both  hands.  Better  to  let  him  go 
free,  better  to  prove  to  him  the  quality,  the  selflessness 
of  her  love,  better  to  leave  her  fate  in  his  hands.  So- 
she  was  silent,  and  only  continued  to  gaze  and  gaze  on 
the  outline  of  his  head,  dark  against  the  glowing  sky. 
They  leant  there  silent,  each  thinking  of  the  first  day 
when  they  had  stood  there,  before  their  pact  was 
made  for  meeting  in  solitude,  before  the  influence  of 
the  garden  had  made  them  each  other's  and  its  own. 
But  there  was  no  bitterness,  no  regret  in  the  thought 
of  either.  Their  union  had  been  full  of  magic  beauty, 
of  divine  rapture,  as  if  it  had  been  in  the  Elysian 
fields,  and  they  would  not  either  of  them  have  wished 
it  in  any  way  different. 

When  he  drew  her  gently  from  the  balustrade,  and 
they  turned  inward  again  to  the  dark,  close-roofed-in, 
leafy  recesses  of  the  garden,  they  were  talking 
earnestly  with  beating  hearts  of  the  life  that  might 
spring  from  those  dear  glad  hours  there,  and  in  a  tiny 
glade,  where  the  turf  was  like  velvet  and  the  great 
tamarisk-trees  twisting  and  intertwining  their  thick 
branches  overhead  made  a  perfect  roof,  and  the  may- 
trees  stood  so  thickly  round  that  the  nightingales 
were  already  singing  there  in  the  soft  green  dusk,  he 
pressed  her  close  to  him  and  said  one  sentence  that 
burnt  into  her  brain  and  remained  there  as  if  stamped 
in  with  fire. 

"  If  you  know  it  when  I  am  away  from  you,  do  not 
feel  frightened  or  oppressed,  dear  one.  I  should  hate 


120       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

you  to  feel  that;  write  to  me  at  once,  that  I  may 
arrange  for  you  to  come  to  me,  and  for  our  marriage, 
and  remember,  it  is  my  dearest  wish." 

Regina  listened,  pale,  her  bosom  fluttering  with 
emotion,  a  little  overawed,  but  the  next  moment  she 
was  clinging  to  him  passionately,  trying  to  tell  him 
how  deep,  how  infinite  her  love  for  him  was,  and  noth- 
ing could  frighten  her:  she  would  only  be  intensely, 
wildly  glad  when  she  knew.  The  hour  passed  golden- 
edged,  full  of  tumultuous  happiness,  and  when  at  last 
Everest  left  her  and  walked  away  down  the  silent 
green  road,  full  now  of  ruby  light,  he  realized  that, 
crowded  as  his  life  had  been  with  experience,  adven- 
ture, emotion,  yet  here  in  this  garden  behind  him  the 
greatest  thing  of  all  had  happened  to  him :  he  had  seen 
Divinity  itself.  Eros  with  his  rainbow  wings  had 
descended  to  him  there.  To-day  he  was  going.  A 
subdued  sadness  was  visible  in  the  whole  party.  Only 
Violet,  the  middle  sister,  seemed  indifferent.  The 
Rector  was  kind  and  genial  as  usual,  but  Mrs.  Marlow 
and  Jane  were  notably  pale  and  silent. 

Regina  stood  at  the  Rectory  door  beside  her 
mother  to  see  the  carriage  start.  His  luggage  had 
been  sent  to  the  station  previously.  Jane  and  Violet, 
in  their  delicate  dresses,  their  large  and  shady  hats, 
got  in,  and  Regina  thought  how  lovely  they  looked  — 
like  flowers  themselves  in  the  bright  sunshine.  Then 
he  came  out  of  the  house  and  shook  hands  with  her 
mother,  and  said  how  much  he  had  enjoyed  his  visit. 
He  was  in  the  travelling  suit  she  had  first  seen  him  in. 
He  was  holding  his  hat,  and  the  sun  poured  down  on 
his  thick,  dark  hair  and  the  clear  pale  bronze  of  the 


THE  GIFT  121 

perfectly  modelled  face.  He  was  quite  calm  and 
natural  in  his  bearing,  and  Regina  knew  it  was  due  to 
them  both  that  she  should  appear  so  too ;  as  he  turned 
to  her  and  held  out  his  hand  she  felt  all  the  blood 
surge  violently  to  her  heart ;  she  was  as  pale  as  white 
stone,  otherwise  not  a  tremor  passed  over  her  face  as 
she  gave  a  little  smile  and  said  good-bye,  laying  her 
hand  in  his.  His  firm  warm  fingers  closed  over  it 
instantly,  and  the  quick,  close,  iron  pressure  of  it  told 
her  many  things,  and  seemed  to  give  her  nerve-force 
and  courage.  He  was  in  the  carriage.  Then  the 
Rector  entered,  and  in  a  few  moments  more  the  white 
dust  of  the  road  was  rising  in  a  cloud  as  the  carriage 
rolled  out  on  it  from  the  Rectory  garden. 

Mrs.  Marlow  and  Regina  turned  slowly  back  inta 
the  house.  It  seemed  very  still  and  quiet,  the  very 
air  seemed  to  hang  more  heavily  and  with  less  move- 
ment now  the  essentially  vital  personality  of  Everest 
had  gone.  The  doors  of  his  rooms  stood  open  as 
they  pased  by  —  the  scent  of  the  roses  that  he  had 
always  had  on  his  table  came  out  to  them. 

They  passed  on  to  Mrs.  Marlow's  sitting-room, 
which  lay  at  the  back  of  the  Rectory,  with  a  bow 
window  looking  out  on  to  the  garden. 

"  Are  you  going  out,  mother  ?  "  asked  Regina,  "  or 
shall  we  have  tea  together?  " 

"  No ;  I  have  no  engagements  this  afternoon. 
Come  in,  and  we'll  have  tea  here.  It  will  be  late  be- 
fore the  others  get  back." 

Tea  was  brought  in,  and  Regina,  seated  in  the 
deep  bay  of  the  window,  watched  her  mother  pour  it 
out. 


122       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

"  I  am  very  sorry  Mr.  Lanark  did  not  take  a 
fancy  to  either  of  the  girls,"  she  remarked ;  "  it 
would  have  been  a  splendid  match  for  them." 

"  Perhaps  he  would  if  they  had  been  more  clever," 
hazarded  Regina,  in  a  low  tone. 

"  Beauty  is  always  supposed  to  be  the  great  thing- 
in  a  woman." 

"  Yes,  the  beauty  attracts,  but  it  does  not  rivet 
the  chain  it  throws  round  the  beholder.  It  is  some- 
thing else,  mind  or  talent,  that  does  that.  In  all  the 
histories  of  the  grandes  passions  of  the  world  the 
woman  has  had  a  certain  amount  of  beauty,  of  course, 
but  she  has  always  been  clever  too." 

Mrs.  Marlow  looked  up,  surprised.  Regina 
stirred  her  tea  absently,  gazing  out  into  the  sunlit 
garden. 

"  Well,  he  ought  to  have  proposed  to  marry  you, 
then,"  Mrs.  Marlow  said  smilingly,  without  for  an 
instant  dreaming  that  was  just  what  Everest  had 
done.  "  You  are  clever  enough  and  very  pretty 
too." 

Regina  flushed  rose-red  and  laughed.  But  when 
tea  was  over  and  she  slipped  away,  her  face  was  very 
sad  again.  She  passed  Everest's  rooms  on  her  way 
to  her  own  and  went  in  there.  They  stood  in  per- 
fect order,  just  as  they  had  been  while  he  was  in 
them.  She  took  all  the  roses  from  the  vases,  the 
flowers  she  knew  he  had  gathered  and  looked  after 
himself,  and  took  them  away  with  her  and  went  up 
slowly  to  her  room.  There  she  stood  at  the  window 
looking  out.  It  was  the  last  day  of  June.  He  had 
been  with  them  not  quite  a  month.  Three  weeks  she 
had  had  of  absolute,  unclouded  happiness.  There 


THE  GIFT  123 

are  a  few  human  beings  who  can  claim  that  much  out 
of  the  whole  of  their  life.  Now,  whatever  the  result, 
whatever  the  price  she  had  to  pay,  she  would  never 
regret,  never  wish  one  moment  of  that  perfect  time 
obliterated. 

Day  after  day  passed  slowly  by,  and  to  the  girl, 
after  that  tremendous  expenditure  of  energy,  that 
intense  excitement,  it  seemed  as  if  her  life  literally 
stood  still.  In  the  soft,  sombre  quiet  of  the  monot- 
onous Rectory  days  she  seemed  to  herself  to  have 
been  wrapped  up  in  cotton  wool  and  buried.  Was 
it  possible  that  people  like  her  sleepy  sister  Violet, 
and  ah1  the  other  twenty-eight  unmarried  ladies  of 
Stossop,  could  go  on  existing  like  this,  twenty  — 
thirty  —  forty  years,  their  whole  life?  Like  flashes 
of  hot  light  shot  from  a  distant  furnace  came  Ever- 
est's letters  to  her;  they  seemed  to  illumine  the  twi- 
light of  her  quiet  tomb.  She  went  to  the  garden 
whenever  it  was  fine,  and  sat  there  and  dreamed  of 
him  beneath  the  waving  trees,  or  hung  over  the  bal- 
ustrade looking  down  on  to  the  sea,  listening  to  its 
vital  whispers  and  picturing  his  image  in  its  deep 
purple  mirrors.  Her  brain  felt  too  tired  to  read 
or  to  learn,  she  neither  played  nor  painted  any  more. 

For  the  time  he  became  her  life. 


CHAPTER  IV 

OUT   OF    THE    STAGNANT    HARBOUR 

THREE  weeks  after  Everest  had  left,  Regina,  coming 
first,  as  usual,  into  the  breakfast-room,  saw  by  her 
plate,  on  the  table,  a  letter  and  a  small  square 
registered  packet,  both  directed  in  his  handwriting. 
Her  heart  beat  rapidly;  a  tender  mist  of  tears  rose 
in  her  eyes.  A  present  from  him !  A  gift  from  the 
man  she  loves,  what  a  wonderful  thing  that  is  to  a 
woman!  Gifts  from  all  the  world,  from  kings  and 
emperors,  might  move  her  not  at  all,  but  one  little 
thing  that  lie  has  chosen,  has  selected,  sought  out  and 
bought  for  her,  how  infinitely  dear  it  is! 

Regina  went  up  to  the  table,  and  taking  the  letter 
hastily  concealed  it  in  the  bosom  of  her  dress.  Not 
here,  but  in  the  sacred  garden,  she  would  read  it. 
.  .  .  Here,  it  might  be  snatched  from  her  and  de- 
stroyed before  she  could  do  so.  The  packet  she 
turned  over  and  commenced  to  open.  At  last,  from 
out  of  its  silver  paper  and  casing,  the  jewel  lay  re- 
vealed, and  she  stood,  gazing  a  little  awestruck  at 
its  flashing  beauty. 

It  was  a  diamond  star,  to  be  worn  as  a  brooch, 
and,  every  spike  radiating  from  the  centre  diamond 
of  great  size  and  brilliancy,  was  composed  of  se- 
lected stones.  Worked  in  across  the  star,  in  sap- 
phires, were  the  words  "  Regiua  Imperatrix,"  and 

lift 


OUT  OF  THE  STAGNANT  HARBOUR  125 

the  blue  and  white  lights  from  sapphire  and  dia- 
mond shone  dazzlingly  from  their  satin  bed. 

While  she  stood  gazing  at  it,  thinking  of  the  care 
and  thought  he  must  have  bestowed  on  it,  and  the 
colour  racing  across  her  cheeks  as  she  felt  the  mean- 
ing of  the  word  "  Imperatrix  "  come  home  to  her, 
the  Rector  and  the  rest  of  the  family  entered  the 
room. 

"  Why,  Regina,  what's  that?  "  the  Rector  asked 
cheerily.  On  the  loose  paper  of  the  wrapper  he 
recognised  Everest's  handwriting,  and  was  not  at 
all  ill-pleased  to  see  what  he  had  sent  to  his  daughter. 

Personally,  as  a  business  matter  —  and  every- 
thing was  a  business  matter  to  the  Rector  —  he  did 
not  care  a  bit  which  daughter  it  was  that  Everest 
fancied.  He  could  only  marry  one,  and  any  one 
would  be  just  as  good  for  the  rest  of  the  family. 
The  Rector  was  an  extremely  acute  individual  where 
worldly  matters  were  concerned,  and,  while  the  others 
had  been  really  blind  to  what  was  passing  so  close 
to  them,  he  had  had  a  pretty  good  idea  of  the  mean- 
ing of  Everest's  love  of  afternoon  exercise  and  where 
his  walks  to  the  sea  had  taken  him.  In  the  back  of 
his  mind  was  the  fear  that  it  all  might  lead  to  some 
irregular  connection,  but  while  his  code  of  morality 
for  his  girls  was  absolutely  rigid  where  poor  men 
might  be  concerned,  Everest's  great  wealth  made  it 
suddenly  grow  very  elastic.  Regular  connections 
sometimes  grew  out  of  irregular  ones,  and  no  connec- 
tion with  a  rich  man  could  be  wholly  bad.  Hence  his 
amiable  glance  on  his  youngest  daughter  as  she  held 
out  to  him  her  starry  jewel. 

Jane  Marlow  pressed  up  close  to  him.     Her  face 


126       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

was  ashy-white  and  seemed  suddenly  to  line  with 
age,  so  closely  are  age  and  evil  allied. 

"  How  disgraceful !  Presents  like  that  from  a 
man !  You'll  make  her  return  it,  won't  you,  father?  " 

She  trembled  in  her  virtuous  indignation.  She 
could  have  torn  the  star  from  his  hand  and  trampled 
on  it. 

The  Rector  turned  to  her  blandly : 

"  Jane,  don't  be  ridiculous.  You  would  have  been 
very  pleased  if  Everest  had  sent  it  to  you.  And  if 
there  would  be  no  harm  in  your  accepting  it,  neither 
is  there  in  Regina's  case.  She  is  quite  entitled  to 
have  it  and  enjoy  it." 

Jane  turned  away,  the  muscles  of  her  face  quiver- 
ing, shaken  with  the  blackest  envy  and  hatred  from 
head  to  foot.  She  had  so  planned  and  hoped  to 
win  this  man  for  herself.  In  all  her  low-nerved, 
weakly,  doll-like  body  there  was  not  a  single  pulse 
or  fibre,  which  could  tremble  to  the  music  of  love. 
But,  like  her  father,  she  was  dominated  by  intensely 
worldly  instincts,  and  to  be  married  to  a  man  of 
wealth  and  position,  no  matter  what  the  individual, 
was  her  dream  and  her  constant  obsession  by  night 
and  day,  the  only  thing  that  filled  her  little  atrophied 
soul. 

Everest's  looks  she  had  hardly  seen,  of  his  per- 
sonality she  never  thought,  but  night  by  night  she 
dreamed  of  herself,  sitting  in  motor  or  carriage, 
driving  to  some  great  house,  where,  resplendent  in 
jewels,  she  would  pass  amongst  the  crowd  admiring 
her  beauty. 

And  she  had  so  tried  to  please  him.  .  .  .  She  had 
taken  him  to  her  poor,  and  let  him  see  how  char- 


OUT  OF  THE  STAGNANT  HARBOUR    127 

itable  and  devoted,  and  domestic  she  was.  She  had 
taken  him  to  church,  and  knelt  so  devoutly,  and 
yet  so  prettily,  and  in  such  becoming  dresses,  before 
him,  at  the  communion-table;  she  had  never  let  any 
frivolous  or  unseemly  word  pass  her  lips  to  him ;  she 
had  never,  while  he  was  there,  quarrelled  with  her  sis- 
ters or  abused  her  mother.  She  had  been  the  per- 
fect, pure,  sedate  Rector's  daughter,  and  he  had 
seemed  latdly  to  appreciate  it.  ...  Regina?  .  .  . 
What  had  she  done?  .  .  .  She  had  been  just  as  she 
always  was.  She  had  taken  no  trouble,  but  it  seemed 
now  it  was  she  who  would  have  the  motor  and  the 
jewels,  and  live  in  town,  while  Jane  would  be  left 
to  grow  mouldy  in  the  horrid  old  Rectory !  It  was 
too  much!  .  .  .  She  could  not  control  herself!  .  .  . 
She  burst  into  a  flood  of  angry  tears,  and  rushed  out 
of  the  room  as  the  Rector  was  beginning  to  say  grace. 

When  grace  was  over,  Regina  fastened  the  star  at 
her  neck,  and  her  sister  Violet  sat  staring  at  it,  in  a 
dull  solid  way,  through  the  meal.  In  her  heavy, 
apathetic  mind  she  had  recognised  early  that  Everest 
was  not  for  her,  and  in  some  dim,  instinctive  way  she 
was  not  dissatisfied  that  it  was  so.  He  alarmed  her. 
To  her,  with  her  fishlike  circulation,  and  her  unused 
brain,  the  sense  of  virile  strength  and  power  about 
him,  which  so  delighted  Regina,  brought  oppression. 
His  experiences,  his  brilliant  intellect,  his  knowledge, 
put  him  outside  the  circle  of  her  stupid  little  thoughts. 

She  could  not  understand  one-tenth  of  his  conversa- 
tion with  Regina,  nor  follow  what  he  said,  and  his 
presence,  his  glance  only,  vaguely  frightened  and 
confused  her.  Great  things  are  for  great  people, 
and  little  things  for  little  people,  and  Violet,  during 


128       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

Everest's  visit,  had  begun  to  realise  dimly  that,  if 
a  fine  marriage  meant  belonging  to  an  incompre- 
hensible and  terrifying  individual  like  this,  the  idle 
novel-reading,  the  church-going,  the  humdrum  little 
potter  of  home  life,  were  more  suited  to  her  mental 
and  physical  equipment.  So  she  stared  at  the  brooch 
without  any  deep  resentment,  only  the  general  sis- 
terly dislike  that  Regina  should  have  any  present  at 
all. 

After  breakfast  Regina  slipped  away,  and  in  the 
heat  of  the  morning  sun  walked  to  the  garden,  as 
fast  as  her  swift-moving  feet  would  carry  her,  and 
once  beyond  its  magic  gate  took  out  the  dear  letter, 
and  with  beating  heart  unfolded  it. 

"  MY  DARLING, — I  miss  you  so  much,  and  want  to 
have  you  in  my  arms  again.  I  send  you  a  little 
brooch  I  have  had  made  for  you,  my  Empress.  I 
went  about  our  flat,  yesterday,  as  soon  as  I  got 
back  from  Scotland.  I  have  a  good  one  in  view, 
and  will  let  you  know  as  soon  as  it  is  ready  for  you. 
Only  these  few  lines  now,  as  I  have  so  much  to  do. 

"  Till  we  meet  again,  my  sweet. 

"EVEREST." 

When  she  had  read  it  more  than  a  hundred  times, 
lingering  over  each  word,  she  kissed  it  and  slipped 
it  back  in  her  bodice. 

Everest  had  referred  to  the  flat  before.  In  all 
his  letters  there  had  been  the  same  eager,  impatient 
note :  he  wanted  her,  and  whether  she  chose  to  marry 
him  or  not  she  was  to  join  him  in  London.  He 
would  take  a  flat,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  ready  he 


OUT  OF  THE  STAGNANT  HARBOUR  129 

hoped  she  would  come,  as  he  could  not  go  on  living 
without  her.  He  left  everything  in  her  hands.  If 
she  would  like  him  to  come  down,  with  a  special  li- 
cence in  his  pocket-book,  and  marry  her  from  the 
Rectory,  he  would  do  that,  if  not,  she  must  come  to 
him.  He  would  prefer  to  write  to  her  father  about 
their  engagement.  .  .  .  Might  he  do  that?  What- 
ever she  decided,  she  was  to  remember  he  could  not 
exist  without  her.  .  .  .  Several  letters  of  this  sort 
had  reached  her  from  Scotland,  and  had  carried  to 
her  heart  the  extreme  of  happiness.  She  had  not 
answered  very  definitely.  She  did  not  wish  to  cur- 
tail his  time  in  Scotland  by  fixing  dates  herself. 
When  he  was  back  in  town  some  wish  of  his  would 
develop  itself,  and  she  would  follow  that. 

The  same  afternoon  she  spent  in  her  room.  She 
locked  herself  in  and  then  got  out  all  her  paintings, 
and  went  slowly  over  them  in  review. 

She  knew  they  were  very  good.  Everest,  the  only 
person  who  had  seen  them,  had  said  so,  but  that 
would  have  made  no  difference  to  her.  She  would 
not  have  believed  it  unless  her  own  intuitive  knowl- 
edge had  told  her  so.  Sometimes  she  had  done  bad 
work,  but  she  had  known  it  instantly,  and  destroyed 
it,  as  relentlessly  as  the  all-wise  animals  destroy  their 
ill-made  or  imperfect  offspring.  All  that  had  sur- 
vived was  fit  to  live,  and  she  sat  in  the  centre  of 
her  pictures,  looking  from  one  to  the  other  in  a  glow 
of  delight. 

Genius  comes  into  the  world  not  to  learn,  but  to 
teach,  and  that  is  what  the  commonplace  mind  can» 
not  grasp. 

It  will  insist  that  everything  must  be  taught,  for- 


130       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

getting  that  at  some  time  there  could  not  have  been 
any  teacher.  The  question:  Which  came  first,  the 
hen  or  the  egg?  might  well  be  asked  of  those  people. 
.  .  .  Which  came  first:  the  teacher  or  the  taught? 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  genius  knows  no  teacher  but 
the  divine  force  within  that  guides,  directs,  accom- 
plishes all. 

And  Regina,  leaning  rocking  on  her  bedroom 
chair,  in  the  middle  of  the  sheets  of  white  paper  that 
sfce  had  converted  into  living,  joy-giving  things,  her 
slender  hands  clasped  round  her  knees,  knew  that, 
whatever  happened,  she  need  never  starve,  never  be 
dependent  on  anyone,  never  ask  anything  from  any- 
one, as  long  as  her  fingers  kept  their  cunning  and  her 
eyes  their  sight.  As  she  sat  there,  the  thought  sud- 
denly darted  into  her  mind  that  it  was  Saturday, 
and  unless  she  wrote  to  Everest  before  the  London 
post  left  he  could  not  have  her  acknowledgment  of  the 
brooch  until  Monday. 

She  sprang  up,  found  her  writing  materials,  and 
wrote. 

It  was  only  a  few  paces  down  the  road  to  a  letter- 
box, and,  knowing  it  could  not  take  her  more  than 
a  second  or  two  to  reach  it,  she  did  not  stay  to  lock 
up  her  work,  as  usual. 

She  ran  down  the  stairs  without  her  hat,  and  across 
the  garden,  to  the  highroad.  The  letter-box  had 
been  cleared  when  she  reached  it,  but  she  knew  she 
could  overtake  the  old  postman  and  get  to  the  post 
office  before  he  arrived,  or  give  him  the  letter  on  the 
road.  She  went  on  with  flying  feet,  but  she  had  to 
traverse  the  whole  distance  to  the  village  post  be- 
fore she  came  up  with  him.  She  saw  him  put  the 


OUT  OF  THE  STAGNANT  HARBOUR  131 

precious  missive  in  his  bag,  then  she  turned  home- 
ward, eager  to  get  back  to  her  pictures. 

When  she  came  back  she  went  up  to  her  own 
room.  On  opening  the  door  she  look  round,  sur- 
prised. Her  pictures,  that  she  had  left  scattered 
about,  on  chair  and  easel,  were  not  visible  anywhere. 

Her  first  thought  was  that  the  maid,  in  clearing  up 
the  room,  had  laid  them  all  together,  and  put  them 
away  somewhere.  She  opened  one  drawer,  and  then 
another,  but  without  finding  them. 

Then,  with  a  suddenly  anxiously  beating  heart,  she 
looked  round  the  room  again.  A  side-table  caught 
her  eye,  and  on  it  —  what  was  that  strange  mass  of 
ragged-edged  paper  piled  there?  She  crossed  to  it. 
Her  pictures  were  there,  or  the  torn  fragments  of 
them,  destroyed  beyond  hope  of  recovery,  and  on 
the  top  of  the  broken  heap  lay  her  Bible. 

Bewildered,  distracted,  hardly  realising  what  had 
happened,  Regina  laid  the  book  aside  and  took  up 
first  one  mutilated  sheet,  and  then  another,  scanning 
them  with  staring  eyes.  Each  one  had  been  torn 
across  and  then  across  again  many  times,  and 
roughly,  so  that  the  edges  were  violently  jagged. 
.  .  .  Nothing  of  beauty  remained,  except  the  won- 
derful colours ;  the  scraps  of  softly  brilliant  tints 
even  in  their  hopeless  destruction  had  a  confused 
loveliness. 

Regina's  fingers  trembled  more  and  more  as  she 
turned  them  over.  All  the  blood  had  left  her  face; 
it  was  ashy,  convulsed.  Who  could  have  done  it? 
It  seemed  the  act  of  a  child  or  a  maniac.  Months 
of  patient,  untiring  work,  buoyed  up  by  hopes  and 
anticipation  of  success  and  the  joy  of  creation,  hac| 


132       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 


undone  in  a  few  moments.  When  it  came  home 
to  her  that  not  one  of  these  precious  children  that 
she  had  so  loved  and  rejoiced  in,  that  had  been  her 
constant  companions  and  comforters  through  days 
and  weeks,  remained  to  her,  a  slow  sort  of  agony 
took  possession  of  her,  that  was  so  intense  it  seemed 
it  must  kill  her.  Gasping,  she  sat  down  on  a  chair, 
holding  the  rim  of  the  table  and  staring  at  its  con- 
tents. 

Jane  and  Violet  Marlow  were  sitting  together  that 
afternoon  in  a  small  boudoir  they  shared  between 
them,  when  suddenly  the  door  was  opened,  Regina 
appeared  on  the  threshold,  deadly  white,  and  with 
black  and  kindling  eyes. 

"  Have  you,  either  of  you,  been  to  my  room  and 
destroyed  my  pictures  ?  "  she  asked.  Her  tones  were 
like  the  scrape  of  steel  against  iron.  Both  the  girls 
looked  up,  one  from  the  novel  she  was  reading,  the 
other  from  the  band  of  silk  she  was  embroidering. 
Regina  knew  in  that  first  second,  in  that  first  upward 
glance  of  surprise  and  dismay,  that  they  were  not 
the  guilty  ones. 

"  Oh,  Regina  !  "  was  all  they  could  either  find  to 
say,  but  the  accent  in  it  of  genuine  horror  was 
enough  for  her  quick  ears.  Both  girls  knew  how 
Regina  loved  and  valued  her  paintings,  and  some  dim 
conception  of  her  suffering  came  home  to  them  as 
they  looked  at  her  distorted  face. 

"  Someone  has,"  she  returned.  "  Where's 
mother?  " 

"  In  the  linen-room,"  Violet  answered,  and  Regina 
turned  away,  closing  the  door  behind  her.  Her  feet 
hardly  touched  the  ground  as  she  went  down  to  the 


OUT  OF  THE  STAGNANT  HARBOUR  133 

linen-room.  She  opened  the  door  and  found  Mrs. 
Marlow  sitting  before  the  huge  linen  cupboard,  her 
lap  full  of  damask  tablecloths  she  was  sorting. 

"  Mother,  someone  has  destroyed  all  my  pictures. 
...  Is  it  you?" 

Mrs.  Marlow  looked  up  in  surprise. 

Regina  stood  in  the  doorway,  rigid,  white  as  a 
statue,  her  face  haggard  and  drawn.  In  that  mo- 
ment it  resembled  so  much  another  countenance  that 
Mrs.  Marlow  had  seen  bend  over  her  in  a  last  fare- 
well that  the  woman  stared  back  at  her  daughter  al- 
most as  pallid.  Usually,  when  Regina  recalled  to  her 
those  dear  past  hours  of  delight  Mrs.  Marlow  re- 
sented it  and  felt  angered  by  this  living  witness  to 
dead  things,  but  to-day  had  been  the  anniversary, 
not  of  Regina's  birth,  but  of  her  conception,  and  all 
day  Mrs.  Marlow  had  been  struggling  in  the  cling- 
ing arms  of  memories  that  would  not  be  denied.  She 
had  fled  to  the  linen  cupboard,  and  counted  the  dam- 
ask cloths  again  and  again,  aloud,  in  vain,  to 
stop  them,  and  now,  when  like  an  apparition  the  very 
face  of  her  lover  came  before  her  vision,  the  woman's 
struggling  soul  fainted  and  called  to  it. 

She  almost  stretched  out  her  arms  to  her,  letting 
the  linen  fall  heavily  to  the  floor  in  her  sudden  move- 
ment. She  would  have  liked  Regina  to  lay  her  head 
down  on  her  breast  and  sob  out  her  anguish  there, 
as  he  once  had  done. 

But  Regina,  never  having  been  accustomed  to  af- 
fection or  caresses  in  her  home,  naturally  did  not 
understand  the  gesture:  she  only  repeated  her  ques- 
tion, standing  by  the  door: 

"  Dear  child,  no,"  returned  Mrs.  Marlow.     "  De- 


134       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

stroy  your  paintings !  I  should  not  think  of  such  a 
thing.  .  .  .  No  one  would.  Surely  it  must  be  some 
accident.  I  am  so  sorry !  " 

"  I  don't  think  it  is  an  accident,"  Regina  answered, 
retreating.  "  Thank  you,  mother,  very  much." 

She  withdrew  and  went  on  down  the  flight  of  stairs. 
Her  whole  body  was  quivering  in  physical  agony, 
transmitted  from  the  mind;  her  brain  seemed  burst- 
ing. As  she  reached  the  hall  she  saw  the  footman 
come  out  of  her  father's  study  and  close  the  door 
gently.  He  saw  Regina  approaching  it,  hesitated, 
and  then  said  respectfully: 

"  Master  said  he  wished  not  to  be  disturbed,  that 
he  was  going  to  write  his  sermon." 

Regina  pursued  her  way,  and  laid  her  hand  on  the 
door. 

"  Thank  you,  Williams,  but  I  am  afraid  I  must 
disturb  him  for  a  few  moments." 

Williams  went  on  his  way,  wondering  what  was 
the  matter  with  his  young  mistress. 

"  She  looked  like  a  person  as  has  been  taking  some 
of  them  deadly  poisons,"  he  remarked  at  the  servants' 
tea,  and  Williams  was  very  near  the  truth,  for  the 
action  of  all  fierce  anger  is  to  distil  a  corroding 
poison  within  ourselves,  which  infects  the  whole  cur- 
rent of  the  blood. 

When  the  girl  entered  the  study  the  Rector  was 
sitting  at  his  desk,  by  the  far  window,  sheets  of 
manuscript  paper  lying  before  him.  He  looked  up, 
as  the  door  opened,  and  when  he  saw  who  it  was  that 
had  entered  his  eyebrows  contracted,  and  he  made 
an  authoritative  gesture  for  her  to  withdraw. 

But  Regina  advanced  steadily,  with  the  grim,  re- 


OUT  OF  THE  STAGNANT  HARBOUR  135 

morseless  step  of  the  hunting  beast  of  prey.  When 
she  was  close  to  the  desk  she  stopped.  Her  eyes  glit- 
tered in  the  deadly  white  of  her  face. 

"  Was  it  you  who  tore  up  my  paintings  ?  " 

Unconsciously,  the  Rector  looked  round  for  help 
or  assistance.  Some  primitive,  physical  instinct 
warned  him  he  was  near  death  at  that  moment,  though 
such  a  thought  never  came  near  his  mind.  His  eyes 
came  back  from  their  search  round  the  empty  room 
and  from  the  far-off  bell.  He  fidgeted  with  his  pen, 
and  then  said  nervously: 

"  You  see,  Regina,  I  have  to  think  of  your  moral 
good.  ...  I  ...  er,  can't  let  things  go  on  in  my 
house  of  which  I  ...  ah  ...  of  which  my  con- 
science does  not  approve." 

"  Then  that  means  you  did  destroy  them?  " 

She  was  very  near  the  desk  now,  the  waning  light 
of  the  afternoon  fell  upon  her  face.  The  Rector 
thought  he  had  never  seen  such  a  terrible  look  of 
rage  on  any  countenance  before.  It  was  truly  shock- 
ing. .  .  .  These  human  passions  were  really  dread- 
ful, when  you  came  face  to  face  with  them. 

"  I  considered  it  my  duty,"  he  returned.  "  I  laid 
your  Bible  on  them  to  show  you  what  actuated 
me." 

Then  he  had  done  it!  This  was  the  man  who  had 
torn  to  pieces  that  fabric  of  beauty  she  had  built  up 
with  such  tender,  adoring  care,  into  which  she  had 
woven  so  many  hopes. 

A  gust  of  fury  enveloped  her,  so  that  she  shook 
from  head  to  foot.  The  lust  to  kill,  to  murder  him, 
rushed  upon  her  like  a  great  beast  and  gripped  her, 
shook  her  in  its  teeth,  till  all  grew  black  and  red  be- 


136       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

fore  her.  She  gripped  the  mahogany  chair  back,  by 
which  she  stood,  till  the  knuckles  started  out  on  the 
back  of  her  hands,  white  and  shining. 

But  the  instinct  of  her  strong  mentality  was 
to  elucidate  the  mystery,  to  search  out  the  clue  to 
this  bewildering  act,  that  she  could  not  in  the  least 
understand. 

"  Why  did  you  do  it  ?  "  she  asked. 

The  Rector  unconsciously  bent  under  the  pene- 
trating will  of  the  query. 

"  Because  they  were  improper  —  most  improper 
pictures  to  have  in  a  clergyman's  house." 

"  Improper?  "  Regina  stared  at  him  in  a  blank 
amaze  that  for  the  moment  eclipsed  the  welling  tide 
of  passion.  Had  her  father  suddenly  become  mad? 
Was  that  the  solution  of  the  mystery?  She  had 
yet  to  realise  that  there  is  no  madness  so  blinding, 
so  deadly,  so  destructive,  as  the  craze  of  the  impure 
mind  against  all  artistic  creations. 

"  They  were  landscapes,  sunsets  .  .  .  the  most 
beautiful  things  I  could  find  .  .  .  the  skies,  the  ef- 
fects of  light.  .  .  .  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  she  con- 
tinued, and  again  the  Rector  felt  compelled  to  stand 
her  cross-examination  and  reply. 

That  same  primitive  impulse  of  self-preservation 
that  had  stirred  within  him  at  his  daughter's  ap- 
proach warned  him  now,  without  his  thinking  about 
it,  that  his  sole  safety  lay  in  the  defence  and  explana- 
tion, such  as  it  was,  that  he  had  to  make. 

"  Yes,  of  course,  they  were  landscapes.  .  .  .  But 
there  is  a  way  of  treating  even  a  landscape,  so  that 
it  becomes  objectionable.  I  have  never  seen  such 
things  before,  myself.  Those  staring,  red  skies, 


OUT  OF  THE  STAGNANT  HARBOUR    137 

those  flushed  appearances,  those  twisted  black  trees, 
those  dark,  slimy  pools.  ...  I  really  cannot  tell 
you  the  unpleasant  things  they  suggest.  .  .  . 

"  Those  stormy  heaths  and  wind-tossed  foliage 
seem  to  me  to  typify  the  riot  of  the  passions,  and 
those  mossy  banks  in  the  sun  suggest  sensuality.  .  .  . 
Improper?  Yes;  highly  improper  I  consider 
them ! " 

Regina  stood  listening  wide-eyed,  in  sheer,  par- 
alysed amazement.  That  a  person's  mind  could  be 
so  deformed  and  twisted  that  by  its  own  blackness 
it  could  defile  the  innocent  beauty  and  sweetness  of 
a  landscape  was  a  fact  so  new  to  her,  and  so  as- 
tounding, that  she  felt  stunned  by  it. 

That  the  man  before  her  was  speaking  honestly 
she  saw. 

"  But  these  things  are  just  portraits  of  what  we 
see  about  us,"  she  went  on,  after  a  silence,  her  clear, 
logical  mind  battling  with  the  psychological  problem 
before  her.  "  If  the  landscapes  were  improper,  then 
so  must  the  things  be.  What  do  you  do  when  you 
go  out  and  see  a  sunset  sky  ?  " 

"  If  it  suggests  to  me  unsatisfactory  thoughts,  I 
don't  look  at  it." 

"  But  how  can  it?  "  queried  the  girl  passionately. 
"  When  I  see  the  sunset  sky  I  feel  I  am  being  borne 
away  on  invisible  wings  to  paradise ;  and  these  mossy 
banks,  with  the  gold  light  lying  on  them,  they  are  ex- 
quisite, and  they  are  all  around  here.  .  .  .  You 
can't  go  out  without  seeing  them." 

"  Don't  continue  talking  like  that,  Regina.  I 
have  told  you,  when  I  go  for  my  walks,  if  I  see  any- 
thing likely  to  disturb  my  moral  sense  I  turn  my 


138       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

eyes  away;  and  because  there  are  many  dangerous 
and  attractive  things  in  nature  about  us,  that  is  no 
reason  why  we  should  portray  them  and  bring  them 
into  the  home  for  constant  contemplation." 

Regina's  haggard  eyes  looked  blankly  back  at  him. 
He  was  talking  to  her  in  an  unknown  language  she 
could  not  understand;  telling  her  incredible  things 
she  could  not  believe,  for  her  own  mind  was  bright 
and  clear,  crystal-like  as  a  mirror,  reflecting  every- 
thing it  faced  with  added  beauty ;  diamond-like  in  its 
sharp,  unstainable  purity.  And  the  obfuscated,  tur- 
bid, sensual  mass  of  incoherent  ideas  and  thoughts 
that  represented  this  man's  mind  appalled  her,  as 
she  looked  into  it. 

"  If  you  destroyed  the  landscapes  only  because  you 
thought  them  immoral,  why  did  you  tear  up  the  in- 
terior of  Exeter  Cathedral?  There  could  be  no  harm 
in  that.  .  .  ." 

"  That  was  the  worst  of  all,"  answered  the  Rector 
stormily,  moving  his  papers  angrily  before  him; 
"  the  very  worst !  Of  course  it  was  the  cathedral, 
and  a  very  beautiful  picture  it  might  have  made, 
treated  properly,  in  the  daylight,  and  full  of  wor- 
shippers ;  but  there  again,  you  had  got  it  nearly  in 
darkness  —  the  evening  effect  you  would  call  it,  I 
suppose;  the  interior  was  quite  dusky,  and  a  red 
light  was  coming  through  the  chancel  window.  A 
very  unpleasant  suggestion  was  there,  very.  .  .  . 
And  still  further  enhanced  by  the  solitude.  .  .  .  The 
place  was  practically  empty." 

"What  was  the  suggestion,  please?"  asked  Re- 
gina,  completely  bewildered  now  by  the  attack  on 
this  picture  of  all  others,  and  dazed  by  her  wander- 


OUT  OF  THE  STAGNANT  HARBOUR  139 

ing  in  the  mazes  of  another  and  wholly  alien  mind. 
She  still  clung  to  the  idea  that  she  must  grip  hold 
of  the  keynote  of  these  mysteries  somehow. 

The  Rector  fiddled  with  his  paper  and  coughed, 
then  he  said,  in  his  pulpit  manner: 

"  You  must  not  forget,  Regina,  that  all  people 
are  not  like  you.  It  may  be  quite  possible  that  you 
have  painted  that  picture  innocently,  but  you  must 
think  about  others,  in  all  these  things,  and  consider 
their  weaknesses.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying 
that  that  painting,  if  put  before  young  people,  might 
do  great,  very  great,  harm." 

"  But  how?     I  am  only  asking  you  how?  " 

"  Well  ...  er  ...  don't  you  see  for  yourself 
how  the  darkness,  and  the  quiet,  and  the  solitude 
might  ...  er  ...  suggest  to  the  young  people  of 
both  sexes  how  a  cathedral  might  ...  ah  ... 
serve  them  for  .  .  .  er  .  .  .  er  .  .  .  immoral  con- 
duct with  each  other?  " 

Regina's  hands  dropped  from  the  chair  back  to  her 
sides,  with  a  gesture  of  collapse;  her  face  grew  even 
more  white  than  it  had  been,  as  the  surprise  of  this 
amazing  interpretation  of  her  sacred  work  forced  the 
blood  to  her  heart. 

"  No,  I  don't  see,"  she  said,  with  a  steel-like  hard- 
ness in  her  voice,  "  nor  do  I  believe  for  one  instant 
that  any  young  people  would  or  could  think  such 
things.  But  if  they  were  so  utterly  depraved  and 
vicious  as  that,  nothing  could  hurt  them,  certainly  not 
my  water-colour  of  the  cathedral.  In  any  case,  what- 
ever you  thought  or  felt  about  them,  you  had  no 
right  to  destroy  them  in  my  absence.  It  was  an 
abominable  thing  to  do !  " 


140       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

"  Nonsense !  As  a  father,  I  have  every  right  to 
act  for  your  good.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  pictures 
so  annoyed  me  I  lost  my  self-control,  and  tore  them 
up  as  soon  as  I  saw  them." 

Regina  made  a  sudden  forward  step  and  seized 
his  arm.  The  grip  of  those  slim,  white  fingers  seemed 
to  go  down  to  the  bone,  and  the  Rector  gave  an  ex- 
clamation of  pain. 

"  Do  you  know  that  it's  fortunate  for  you,"  her 
white  lips  said  at  his  ear,  "  that  I  have  more  control 
than  you  have,  or  I  should  Jcitt  you  now." 

She  let  go  his  arm,  turned  from  him  and  crossed 
the  room.  She  knew  she  must  go  or  she  would  spring 
upon  him  and  destroy  him,  as  he  had  destroyed  her 
work;  anger  in  that  moment  filled  her  with  the 
strength  to  do  it. 

Once  in  her  room  she  locked  the  door  and  sat  down 
over  by  the  window,  locking  her  hands  together  and 
forcing  them  down  on  the  window-sill,  like  one  in 
mortal  agony.  Never  had  she  felt  before  the  in-rush 
of  evil  upon  the  soul,  but  she  knew  it  now.  She 
longed  to  avenge  herself;  longed  to  murder.  Her 
nature  was  sweet  and  gentle  and  pure;  her  mind 
always  occupied  with  elevated  things ;  the  emotions 
of  malice,  of  hate,  of  envy,  of  cruelty  were  unknown 
to  her.  They  never  rose  in  her.  But  now  she  was 
lost,  submerged  in  this  awful  tide  of  black  hate,  that 
rolled  over  her,  and  she  struggled  in  it,  powerless  to 
help  herself. 

"Kill  him!  ...  kill  him!  .  .  .  kill  him!  ...  If 
I  go  out  of  this  room,  if  I  see  him  again,  I  shall  do 
it." 

She  struggled  vainly  to  get  calmer,  to  take  her 


OUT  OF  THE  STAGNANT  HARBOUR  141 

eyes  from  the  torn  and  mutilated  beauty  on  the 
table  near  her,  vainly.  .  .  . 

The  passion  of  fury  seethed  in  all  her  veins,  it 
seemed  a  bodily  as  well  as  a  mental  thing.  She 
knotted  her  hands  and  unknotted  them  in  an  agony, 
trying  to  throw  from  her  this  evil,  hateful  thing, 
this  anger  that  was  parching  her  lips  and  closing  her 
throat  and  corroding  her  brain. 

In  that  supreme  suffering  the  thought  came  to  her 
suddenly  of  Everest,  and  his  face,  that  serene,  beauti- 
ful, perfect  face  she  so  passionately  adored,  floated 
before  her  darkened  eyes,  as  if  he  were  in  the  room, 
with  her.  The  remembrance  of  their  love,  its  ex- 
quisite tenderness,  stole  upon  her  softly.  How  could 
she  let  its  shrine  —  her  mind  and  body  —  be  so  in- 
vaded by  these  other  revolting  emotions  ? 

She  strove  still  harder  not  to  think  of  her  father, 
not  to  think  of  his  act,  not  to  remember  her  ruined 
work.  .  .  .  And  then  came  the  query :  "  Why  not 
go  to  him?  To  Everest?  He  wanted  her1.  .  .  . 
No  one  here  did.  .  .  . 

He  was  back  in  London  now;  if  she  went  to  him 
he  would  be  only  too  happy.  Had  he  not  said  so  a 
hundred  times?  Her  hand  went  to  her  neck,  and 
touched  the  jewel  star.  On  her  breast  was  his  note, 
showing  he  was  planning,  wishing  for  her  coming. 

If,  in  any  way,  he  was  not  ready,  not  prepared, 
not  desirous  to  receive  her,  she  could  stay  alone  for 
a  littJe  while.  She  had  her  own  capital  in  her  pic- 
tures. But  no  —  now,  she  had  no  pictures,  and  the 
black  tide  of  rage  rolled  up  again  to  its  full  height 
and  seemed  to  tower  over  her,  but  she  grappled  and 
fought,  and  wrenched  back  her  calm  again. 


142       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

Her  capital  was  in  her  brain,  and  no  one  could  take 
that  from  her.  If  she  herself  did  not  let  that  poison- 
ous anger  sap  it.  ... 

Suddenly  a  tap  came  at  the  door.  Regina  drew 
herself  up,  her  whole  body  quivered. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  from  her  place  by  the  win- 
dow. 

"  Are  you  not  coming  down  to  dinner  ?  "  sounded 
in  her  elder  sister's  voice  through  the  door. 

"  No,  thank  you ;  not  this  evening." 

"  Why  ?     Aren't  you  well?  " 

"  I  have  rather  a  headache.  Do  not  wait  for  me, 
nor  send  me  anything  up.  I  shall  be  better  without 
it." 

"  Oh  .  .  .  well,  father  sent  me  up  to  say  you  were 
not  to  feel  distressed  about  your  pictures,  that  he 
had  no  objection  to  your  learning  to  paint,  if  you 
wanted  to  and  showed  talent.  It  was  your  style  he 
disliked,  and  if  you  would  give  up  your  red  skies  and 
things,  and  take  simple,  proper  subjects  —  country 
cottages  and  village  greens,  you  know,  that  sort  of 
thing  —  he  would  arrange  for  you  to  have  lessons 
from  Mr.  Andrews,  the  drawing-master  at  the  Kinder- 
garten." 

Silence. 

"Did  you  hear,  Regina?  What  shall  I  say  to 
father?" 

"  Thank  him  for  his  kind  offer." 

"  How  strange  your  voice  sounds !  Won't  you 
open  the  door?  " 

"  No ;  it  might  be  dangerous  for  you." 

"  Dangerous  ?     What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"Well  ...  er  ...  you  see,  there's  a  draught." 


OUT  OF  THE  STAGNANT  HARBOUR  143 

"  Very  good.     I'm  going  down.     Good-night." 

"  Good-night." 

Footsteps  moved  away  from  the  door,  and  down 
the  stairs. 

Then  there  was  silence. 

Regina  sprang  to  her  feet,  every  muscle  within 
her  shaking,  every  pulse  throbbing  with  exasperation. 

Only  one  instinct  moved  her  now :  to  escape,  to  get 
away  from  this  hateful  place,  that  called  itself  her 
home,  to  get  away  from  this  atmosphere  of  tyranny, 
that  called  itself  religion,  to  get  away  from  this  li- 
centiousness of  cruelty  and  ignorance,  that  called 
itself  purity. 

She  turned  to  her  handbag  and  packed  it  rapidly, 
with  cold,  trembling  fingers.  Then  put  on  a  hat  and 
veil,  and  threw  her  cloak  over  her  arm ;  for  an  in- 
stant she  stood  before  her  mirror,  and  looked  in ;  the 
beautiful  rose  and  white  skin,  the  masses  of  soft  hair, 
framed  in  her  large  black  summer  hat,  pleased  her; 
the  luminous  eyes,  large  now  with  excitement  and 
pain,  shadowed  with  apprehension  of  the  unknown, 
to  which  she  was  going,  looked  back  at  her ;  but,  dark 
as  the  waters  of  Life  might  be  before  her,  vague  and 
uncertain  and  mysterious,  she  felt  all  the  danger  and 
evil  that  might  lie  in  that  treacherous  sea  could  not 
equal  the  horror  of  the  stagnant  harbour  from  which 
she  was  setting  out. 

She  turned  from  the  glass  and  paused,  listening: 
the  dinner-gong  sounded  harshly  through  the  house; 
when  its  echoes  died  away  the  sound  of  plates  being 
carried  and  doors  opened  and  shut  came  to  her 
faintly.  The  family  had  gone  in  to  dine  on  the 
stalled  ox,  with  hatred. 


144       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

She  opened  her  door  and  passed  noislessly,  un- 
noticed, down  the  stairs.  How  glad  she  felt  that 
never  again  would  she  have  to  sit  down  to  that  de- 
pressing, grumbling,  bickering,  recriminatory  meal! 
Softly  she  opened  the  hall  door,  and  went  out  into 
the  sweet,  warm  evening. 

It  seemed  to  welcome  her,  enfold  her,  soothe  her. 
She  glanced  up  at  the  deep  rose  of  the  light-filled  sky 
and  thought  how  sweetly  it  must  be  arching  over 
the  enchanted  garden. 

Never  again  might  she  see  it  perhaps,  but  its  in- 
fluence would  be  with  her  all  her  life.  Its  peace  and 
beauty,  its  mystery,  the  holy  love  she  had  felt  there, 
the  hours  of  rapture  she  had  known  there,  had  all 
moulded  her  soul  and  stamped  on  it  an  impress  that 
could  never  be  effaced. 

Quickly,  without  a  backward  glance  at  the  Rec- 
tory, she  walked  through  the  still,  dewy  air  towards 
Stossop  station. 


CHAPTER  V 

CLEAR    WATERS 

EVEREST  was  undressing,  he  had  already  taken  off 
his  coat  and  waistcoat,  and  was  standing  in  front  of 
his  long  mirror,  unfastening  his  collar,  when  he 
heard  light,  quick  footsteps  outside,  and  the  handle 
of  his  sitting-room  door  turn.  With  one  hand  still 
on  his  neck  stud,  he  walked  through  the  communicat- 
ing doors  of  his  rooms,  to  see  who  was  the  intruder, 
and  came  face  to  face  with  Regina,  as  she  entered. 
The  moment  her  eyes  fell  on  the  adored  figure  the 
stony  self-command  she  had  resolutely  kept  wrapped 
round  her  tightly,  like  a  garment,  fell  from  her,  there 
was  no  need  of  it  here.  .  .  .  Everest  stretched  out 
his  arms  to  her  and  she  fell  into  them,  in  a  sudden  pas- 
sion of  tears. 

"  My  pictures,  my  pictures !  " 

Her  head  leaned  against  his  breast,  her  whole 
body  quivered  convulsively,  with  great,  tearing  sobs, 
in  his  arms.  He  held  her  close  pressed  to  him,  asking 
no  question,  kissing  her  soft  hair,  and  the  rim  of  her 
little  ear,  waiting.  .  .  . 

"  He  tore  them  all  up,"  she  sobbed,  after  some 
minutes,  "  because  he  disapproved  of  them,  and  I 
came  away,  because  I  felt  I  should  kill  him  if  I  stayed 
there.  .  .  .  Oh,  Everest!  what  a  thing  it  is  to  be 

made  to  feel  like  that,  submerged  in  evil !  " 

145 


146       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

"  Who  tore  them  up?  "  he  asked,  as  she  raised  her 
head.  His  voice  had  a  tone  of  horror  in  it. 

"  My  father ;  he  went  into  my  room  while  I  was 
away,  saw  the  pictures  and  took  them  all  and  de- 
stroyed them;  because  he  thought  it  was  right,  he 
told  me.  .  .  .  Can  you  believe  it?  " 

"  Hardly,"  Everest  muttered :  his  face  had  grown 
as  white  as  hers. 

"  What  an  atrocious  thing  to  do !  What  a  regular 
old  John  Calvin!  Darling,  darling,  I  am  sorry  1 
What  can  I  do  to  comfort  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  comforted  already,  being  here,"  she  an- 
swered, drawing  away  from  him,  and  smiling  through 
her  tears,  as  she  looked  up  at  him.  "  Oh,  if  you 
knew  what  a  relief  it  is  to  be  with  you,  and  to  feel 
that  blackness  of  hate  vanishing  out  of  one's  mind, 
and  the  feelings  of  love  rushing  back  into  it!  For 
six  hours  now,  since  this  happened,  I  did  not  know 
myself.  ...  I  have  been  a  murderess  in  heart.  .  .  . 
I  was  devoured  with  hate  of  him.  The  thought  of 
you  was  the  only  thing  that  saved  me,  that  shone 
like  a  star  in  the  darkness.  The  thought  of  you,  that 
stole  through  all  the  mists  of  murder  and  hate,  and 
brought  me  here  safely.  He  owes  his  life  to 
you.  .  .  ." 

Everest's  face  grew  very  grave  as  he  drew  her 
closer  to  him. 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  came  to  me,"  he  said  gently. 
"  I  like  to  think  you  brought  your  grief  to  me,  and 
also  I  was  wishing  for  you  so  much,  for  myself.  .  .  . 
We  can  be  very  happy  here." 

"  But  I  don't  think  I  can  stay.  .  .  .  Can  I?  "  she 


CLEAR  WATERS  147 

said  doubtfully.  "  Really,  Everest,  I  don't  want  to 
be  any  trouble  to  you.  You  may  not  be  ready  for 
me.  You  were  not  prepared  for  me  to  come  now. 
I  felt  I  must  see  you  at  once,  but  I  have  a  little 
money  with  me,  and  I  can  go  to  an  hotel,  can't  I, 
and  stay  there  by  myself  ?  " 

Everest  laughed  and  kissed  her,  looking  down  upon 
her  with  that  wonderful  softening  of  all  the  brilliant 
face  that  moved  her  so. 

"  Yes,  you  could  certainly  do  that  if  I  allowed  it," 
he  answered,  "  which  I  shall  not  do.  You  can  per- 
fectly well  stay  here  with  me.  These  are  my  own 
private  rooms,  where  I  do  exactly  as  I  please.  I  have 
my  studio  here  too,  and  I  always  count  this  my  hap- 
piest place  in  town,  where  I  am  free  and  alone,  and 
no  one  bothers  me.  How  did  you  come  ?  Have  you 
got  any  luggage?  " 

"  I  drove  here  in  a  taxi  from  the  station,  and  I  have 
only  a  handbag.  I  felt  I  must  get  away  from  the 
Rectory  and  the  possibility  of  losing  my  senses  and 
killing  him.  But  I  had  no  idea  of  forcing  myself 
on  you;  I  want  to  be  quiet  for  a  day  or  two  some- 
where, and  paint  a  picture  that  came  into  my  mind 
in  the  train.  That  will  take  away  this  dreadful 
longing  for  revenge.  Then  you  could  help  me, 
couldn't  you,  to  get  it  sold?  You  said  I  could  al- 
ways sell  my  things.  I  do  not  want  ever,  ever,  to 
go  home  again !  " 

"  Darling,  why  should  you?  Your  home  is  with 
me  now.  As  for  the  picture,  if  you  want  to  paint, 
there  is  my  studio,  through  that  door.  You  can 
work  in  it  all  day  undisturbed,  and  sell  your  picture, 


148       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

I  have  not  any  doubt,  if  you  wish  to.  But  now,  you 
shall  have  something  to  eat:  you  must  have  left  be- 
fore dinner." 

Regina  sank  down  in  one  of  the  large  and  truly 
easy  chairs.  Suddenly  she  felt  weak  and  cold  and 
faint.  For  many  hours  that  worst  of  all  fevers, 
scorching  hate  and  anger,  had  burnt  in  her  veins, 
eating  up  her  strength.  For  the  time  she  was  ex- 
hausted. 

"  We  must  go  and  get  you  some  supper  directly," 
Everest  said,  regarding  her  anxiously.  "  Sit  still 
till  I  come."  And  he  turned  back  into  his  bedroom, 
to  put  on  his  coat  again. 

"  You  were  just  going  to  bed.  I  am  sorry  to  dis- 
turb you,  and  drag  you  out  again !  " 

For  all  answer,  she  heard  him  laugh  from  the  inner 
room.  In  a  few  moments  he  came  back  to  her.  She 
looked  up  with  a  sudden  exclamation. 

He  had  put  on  a  light  overcoat,  a  white  silk  hand- 
kerchief round  his  neck,  and  his  opera  hat. 

"  Everest,  I  have  never  seen  you  like  that !  How 
wonderful  you  look !  —  so  very  handsome  in  that  hat ! 
I  have  never  seen  you  in  it  before." 

"  No,  one  doesn't  wear  them  in  the  country,"  re- 
joined Everest,  laughing.  "You  are  the  most  aw- 
ful little  flatterer  I  ever  knew.  If  I  live  much  with 
you,  I  shall  get  vain  in  time.  Come  along  now,  you 
look  so  white.  You  ought  to  get  something  to  eat, 
and  then  go  to  bed  and  to  sleep  as  soon  as  you  can." 

They  went  downstairs  to  the  waiting  taxi,  and 
Everest  ran  up  again  with  her  handbag,  and  set  it 
inside  his  own  room,  with  a  gust  of  pleasure  sweep- 
ing over  him. 


CLEAR  WATERS  149 

As  he  got  into  the  taxi,  he  told  the  man  to  drive  to 
the  West  Strand  telegraph  office. 

"  We  must  send  word  to  your  father,"  he  said, 
when  he  was  seated  by  her,  "  and  let  them  know  you 
are  safe." 

He  saw  her  face  grow  still  whiter  in  the  shadows 
of  the  cab. 

"  Why  ?  They  don't  care  a  straw  about  me,  any 
of  them.  Why  am  I  obliged  to  tell  them  what  I  am 
doing?  " 

"  Think  how  anxious  they  will  be  when  they  find 
you  are  not  in  the  house,  after  the  picture  question 
especially!  They  might  think  you  had  drowned 
yourself,  or  anything." 

"  They  would  not  much  care  if  I  had !  But  they 
will  probably  think  I  am  with  you." 

"  Well,  I  wish  them  to  know  it,"  returned  Everest, 
so  decidedly  that  Regina  felt  silenced. 

When  they  reached  the  telegraph  office  he  got  out, 
leaving  her  in  the  cab,  and  sent  the  wire  to  John 
Marlow : 

"  Regina  is  with  me  and  quite  safe. — EVEREST." 

He  reflected  for  a  moment  with  it  in  his  hand. 

It  would  make  talk  and  gossip  in  the  village,  Hut 
he  did  not  see  how  he  could  help  it. 

Sooner  or  later  he  would  have  to  meet  John  Mar- 
low's  inquiries  about  his  daughter,  and  he  wished 
from  the  very  beginning  to  have  had  no  deception, 
nor  concealment  of  his  own  actions.  He  sent  the 
message  and  rejoined  the  waiting  girl. 

It  was  too  late  for  diners,  and  still  early  for  sup- 


150       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

per-parties,  so  that  the  restaurant,  when  they  en- 
tered it,  was  nearly  empty. 

Everest  chose  a  quiet  corner  by  a  sheltering  palm 
and  screen,  and  the  girl  sank  down  on  the  velvet- 
covered  seat,  beneath  the  rose-shaded  light,  with  a 
f  eeling  of  soothed  contentment.  It  is  a  great  thing  to 
come  unexpectedly  to  one  we  love,  and  find  ourselves 
utterly  and  wholly  and  delightfully  welcome.  She 
saw  this  was  so.  She  felt  in  every  fibre  of  her  being 
the  reflex  action  of  the  passionate  electric  joy  that 
was  animating  the  man  opposite  her,  under  his  quiet 
exterior.  A  warm  colour  glowed  in  his  clear  skin; 
the  dark  eyes  were  full  of  life  and  fire;  he  smiled  a 
little,  unconsciously,  whenever  he  looked  at  her.  He 
was  so  tender  and  kind  and  devoted,  so  full  of  all 
that  curious  magnetic  charm  that  passion,  when  not 
thwarted,  checked,  too  far  repressed,  or  in  any  way 
distorted,  confers  upon  the  male.  She  felt  borne 
on  a  tide  of  deep,  peaceful  happiness;  she  seemed  to 
be  floating  gently  on  that  warm  and  buoyant  flood. 
She  was  with  him,  and  he  loved  and  wanted  her,  and 
nothing  else  in  the  world  mattered. 

Everest  ordered  a  delicate  little  supper  for  them, 
and  made  her  drink,  in  champagne,  the  health  of  her 
new  picture,  which  was  to  start  to-morrow. 

The  colour  crept  back  to  her  face,  and  fresh 
strength  into  her  limbs.  The  beautiful  emotions  of 
grateful  love  and  trust  and  joy  were  rapidly  mend- 
ing the  great  rents  that  hate  and  evil  had  torn  in 
her  system. 

"  Are  you  feeling  better  now?  "  he  asked,  as  they 
finished  their  coffee,  gazing  at  her.  She  looked  very 
sweet,  very  youthful  and  appealing,  he  thought,  her 


CLEAR  WATERS  151 

face  shadowed  by  the  large  hat,  in  the  soft  light.  The 
pain  and  excitement  she  had  been  through  had  lent 
a  look  of  spiritual  delicacy  to  her  face,  widened  the 
eyes,  dilating  enormously,  the  pupils.  The  skin  was 
pale  and  very  clear,  the  lips  a  bright  line  of  scarlet. 

"  Are  you  ready  ?     Shall  we  go  home  now  ?  " 

Regina  gazed  back  at  him,  a  sudden  wonder  on  her 
face. 

"  How  nice  that  sounds,  when  you  say  it  —  home ; 
and  I  have  always  so  hated  the  word ! " 

Everest  laughed  and  rose.  He  felt  impatient  to 
have  her  in  his  arms  and  kiss  her,  which  he  did  the 
moment  they  were  in  the  taxi,  driving  back  from  the 
restaurant. 

"  I  am  so  grateful  to  you  for  being  so  sympathetic 
and  sweet  to  me,  altogether,  when  I  came  to  you 
suddenly,  like  this,"  she  said  in  his  ear,  with  her  arms 
round  his  neck,  and  he  held  her  very  closely  as  he 
answered : 

"  Darling,  it  is  I  that  am  grateful  to  you,  for 
coming  to  me,  when  I  wanted  you  so  much.  I  am 
so  glad  you  found  me  in."  And  he  was  silent  for  a 
moment  remembering  the  conflict  he  had  had  with 
himself,  before  he  had  decided  to  stay  in  and  go  to 
bed  early,  that  night,  at  the  studio. 

It  was  only  the  picture  of  the  enchanted  garden 
that  had  held  him.  He  stood  looking  at  it  for  a  long 
time,  and  as  the  remembrance  of  those  radiant  hours 
he  had  passed  there  came  back  to  him  he  only  longed 
for  Regina.  Nothing  else  could  satisfy  or  content 
him.  He  must  insist  on  her  joining  him  at  once, 
and  until  she  came  to  him  he  would  wait.  And  then, 
just  as  his  resolve  was  made,  her  hand  was  on  his 


152       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

door  and  she  herself  appeared!  Just  as  he  was 
longing  for  her  so  much!  And  he  felt  he  could  not 
welcome  her,  kiss  her,  be  grateful  to  her  enough. 

When  they  reached  his  rooms  again  Regina  said: 
"  I  should  so  like  to  begin  my  picture  to-morrow, 
but  I  haven't  any  materials  with  me,  and  to-morrow 
is  Sunday.  ...  I  can't  buy  them  anywhere,  can 
I?  " 

Everest  walked  across  the  sitting-room  and  un- 
locked the  door  at  the  end.  This  led  into  the  studio. 
He  turned  on  the  light  and  called  her  to  follow  him. 

"  Here  is  everything,  either  for  oil  or  water-col- 
ours. You  can  use  this  easel,"  and  he  lifted  a  half- 
finished  canvas  from  one  of  the  easels,  and  set  it  on 
the  floor.  "  All  the  paints  and  brushes  you  will  find 
in  that  drawer,  and  the  drawing  paper  in  the  large 
drawer  underneath." 

Regina  looked  round  her  with  pleasure.  It  was 
a  large  and  well-furnished  studio;  comfort  and  ease 
and  every  facility  for  work  was  everywhere. 

"  What  a  delightful  place,"  she  said ;  "  and  full  of 
your  work.  I  want  you  to  show  it  all  to  me." 

"  I  will  some  time,  but  not  now,"  Everest  an- 
swered, drawing  her  out  of  the  room  with  an  arm 
she  could  not  resist,  and  closing  the  door  after  them. 
"  Come  into  my  room,  and  see  your  own  picture, 
that  was  safely  with  me  when  the  others  came  to 
grief." 

He  opened  his  bedroom  door,  and  the  girl,  with  a 
feeling  of  awed  delight,  crossed  the  threshold  of  his 
room. 

If  anything  could  have  added  to  the  worship  which 
filled  her  for  this  man  it  was  the  sight  of  that  beauti- 


CLEAR  WATERS  153 

ful  room,  in  which  he  slept  and,  as  he  said,  dreamt 
and  thought  about  her. 

She  hated  disorder  of  any  kind,  and  finding  it 
difficult  to  be  always  tidy  and  orderly  in  her  sur- 
roundings, herself,  owing  to  her  impetuous,  unme- 
thodical nature,  she  specially  admired  the  gift  for 
order  in  another. 

She  hated  old,  untidy  clothes,  hated  the  sight  of 
anything  that  looked  torn  or  used  or  worn,  and  was 
fairly  familiar  with  such  things  in  the  Rectory  bed- 
rooms, since  any  clothes  are  considered  good  enough 
for  the  country  and  home.  Here,  having  taken  Ever- 
est completely  by  surprise,  she  saw  nothing  that  of- 
fended her.  All  was  in  perfect  order,  every  object 
that  met  the  eye  was  one  of  beauty  and  spoke  of  re- 
finement and  elegance. 

The  centre  table  had  flowers  upon  it,  and  an  open 
leather  writing-case,  where  he  had  written  his  last 
letter  to  her,  the  previous  evening.  A  bookcase,  low 
and  convenient,  stood  by  a  long  chair  covered  with  a 
blue  silk  rug.  There  seemed  no  clothes  anywhere  — 
doubtless  they  were  all  ranged  neatly  in  those  many 
wardrobes,  standing  against  the  walls  —  except  a 
deep  blue  dressing-gown,  thrown  over  an  arm-chair, 
and  the  silk  sleeping-suit  lying  on  his  bed. 

His  dressing-table  was  really  beautiful  in  its  ap- 
pointments, and  the  girl's  eyes  rested  with  delight  on 
his  silver  brushes  and  mirrors  and  razors  and  scis- 
sors and  buttonhooks. 

It  was  all  charming ;  it  breathed  order,  beauty  and 
peace;  for  a  spirit  of  peace  is  largely  the  result  of 
order.  Although  not  perhaps  generally  recognised, 
nothing  fatigues  the  eye  and  mind  and  body  more 


154       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

than  disordered  surroundings,  the  broken  lines  of  a 
crowded  and  untidy  room. 

Regina  had  heard  much  of  the  supposed  ugliness 
and  untidiness  of  bachelors'  apartments,  much  also 
about  the  feminine  touch  and  the  refinement  to  be 
found  in  a  maiden's  room.  But  this,  the  first  bach- 
elor's room  she  had  ever  entered,  in  its  stately  order, 
compared  amazingly  with  the  many  rooms  of  girls 
and  women  that  she  had  seen. 

Everest  drew  her  over  to  the  mantelpiece. 

"  There  is  your  picture,"  he  said,  and  she  gave 
an  exclamation  of  delight  as  she  saw  it. 

It  stood  on  his  mantel,  in  a  handsome  double-swept 
frame,  with  plate-glass  before  it,  and  looked  as  if 
the  greatest  care  had  been  expended  on  it,  which  it 
had. 

She  was  surprised  at  the  beauty  of  the  work,  now 
she  came  upon  it  suddenly.  The  enchanted  garden, 
in  all  its  beauty,  bloomed  before  her,  beneath  its 
soft,  crimson  sky.  * 

"  How  well  it  looks  in  its  frame  ! "  she  said ;  "  how 
perfectly  you  have  had  it  done ! " 

"  It  is  a  dear  picture,"  he  answered  her.  "  It  is 
my  guardian  angel.  It  kept  me  here  to-night,  for 
you." 

Then  he  took  off  her  hat,  and  put  it  on  his  table, 
and  her  cloak,  and  drew  her  into  his  arms,  and 
kissed  her,  but  very  softly  and  tenderly,  for,  while 
she  felt  an  absolute  adoration  for  him,  he  had  also 
for  her  an  overwhelming  reverence,  and  these  feel- 
ings, animating  them  both,  carried  their  love  fat 
above  the  range  of  common,  earthly  things. 


CLEAR  WATERS  155 

The  next  morning  Everest  wrote  to  the  Rector : 

"  MY  DEAR  JOHN, — Last  night  Regina  came  here 
in  a  very  excited  state.  She  was  very  much  upset 
about  her  pictures.  She  is  now  staying  with  me,  and 
if  you  can  feel  enough  confidence  in  me  to  let  things 
stand  just  as  they  are  for  the  present,  I  think  they 
will  work  out  all  right.  I  offered  to  marry  her,  while 
I  was  still  at  Stossop,  but,  acting  on  some  quixotic 
idea  that  our  positions  were  too  unequal,  she  re- 
fused me,  and  continues  to  do  so.  I  have  no  doubt, 
however,  I  shall  be  able  in  time  to  persuade  her  into 
granting  me  what  is  my  dearest  wish. 

"  Best  say  as  little  as  possible  at  present  of  the 
matter;  but  where  necessary  you  can,  if  you  wish, 
give  out  we  are  already  married.  Yours  always, 

"  EVEREST." 

He  sent  this  letter  when  they  had  had  their  morn- 
ing coffee,  which  he  made  himself,  and  after  Regina 
had  gone  into  the  studio  and  settled  down  to  her 
work. 

She  was  nervous,  trembling  with  a  sort  of  inward 
palpitation,  which  so  often  precedes  intense  effort, 
and  he  knew  the  only  way  to  calm  her  was  to  let 
her  produce  as  soon  as  possible  the  ideas  burning 
within  her. 

She  worked  all  day,  never  once  pausing  to  eat  or 
drink.  Everest,  knowing  her  intense  preoccuption, 
and  anxious  to  see  her  freed  from  the  feverish  ten- 
sion possessing  her,  went  away  to  his  club,  and  then 
on  to  the  new  flat,  leaving  her  alone,  and  thus  free 
to  work  all  the  hours  of  light. 

At  five  he  returned,  and  as  he  opened  the  door  of 


156       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

their  sitting-room  she  rushed  to  him  and  kissed  him 
passionately. 

"  It  is  done !  It  is  finished !  Come  and  look !  " 
And  she  drew  him  over  to  the  studio,  and  to  the  win- 
dow, where  the  picture  stood,  facing  the  last  west- 
ern light,  on  the  easel. 

Everest  almost  started  as  his  eyes  fell  on  it.  Its 
realism  was  so  tremendous.  The  passion  and  the 
fury  of  it  seemed  to  strike  the  spectator  like  a  blow. 
It  was  a  great  picture,  but  horrible !  —  horrible  as 
its  title,  written  in  glittering  letters  of  gold  paint, 
beneath  it :  "  The  Murderer." 

Over  a  plain  of  snow,  snow  that  covered  fore- 
ground, middle  distance  and  distance  alike,  one  limit- 
less, hostile  plain,  hurried  a  single  figure,  a  fugitive, 
cowering  figure,  the  folds  of  whose  heavy  coat,  torn 
back  by  the  merciless  wind,  revealed  a  face  in  which 
fear  and  every  hideous,  malignant  emotion  known  to 
humanity  struggled  together.  Behind  him  glowed, 
blood-red,  a  crimson  sky,  the  light  from  which,  ex- 
quisitely handled,  by  a  truly  master-hand,  fell  all 
across  the  snowy  plain  and  caught  and  tinged  with 
scarlet  the  foot-tracks  the  wretched  wayfarer  had 
left  behind  him ;  footsteps  of  bood  indeed  they  seemed. 

Awe-inspiring,  terrible,  fascinating,  great  in  its 
grip  of  its  horrible  subject,  the  picture  wounded, 
satisfied,  attracted  and  repelled  all  at  the  same  in- 
stant. 

Everest  turned  from  it  to  her  and  drew  her  into 
his  arms.  " 1  think  it  is  a  very,  very  great  thing," 
he  said  gently. 

"  He  murdered  my  pictures  and  I  longed  to  mur- 
der him.  I  have  lived,  and  slept,  and  lain  down  and 


CLEAR  WATERS  157 

got  up  with  murder  ever  since.  But  now,  it  is  over. 
I  have  exorcised  the  demon.  It  is  all  there  in  the 
picture.  I  have  put  it  into  that,  and  got  rid  of  it. 
I  am  free  again.  Also  I  am  content,  happy  again !  " 
And  she  smiled  up  at  him,  the  light  of  love  and  joy 
all  rippling  over  her  face.  "  It  is  greater  than  any 
you  saw  at  Stossop,  better  than  any  he  tore  up,  is 
it  not  ?  "  she  asked.  "  That's  why  I  feel  I  can  for- 
give him ;  he  tore  up  all  those,  but  then,  his  action  in- 
spired this,  which  is  greater,  so  I  am  not  really  in- 
jured, after  all.  Besides,  all  that  fire  and  rage  and 
passion  I  felt  seemed  to  be  like  a  smelter,  in  which 
my  talent  found  itself,  gathered  itself  together,  freed 
itself  from  all  its  dross  of  weakness  or  indecision, 
and  flowed  out  in  its  true  mould.  I  shall  paint  bet- 
ter now,  always,  I  think,  than  I  did." 

She  was  wonderfully  attractive  to  him  in  her  ex- 
citement and  enthusiasm.  That  great  energy  that 
was  in  his  own  system  seemed  roused  and  called  into 
its  full  life  by  the  display  of  it  in  another. 

She  was  quite  white,  after  her  long  fast,  and  her 
eyes  shone  like  great  lights  in  her  face.  He  could 
feel  all  the  muscles  of  her  arms  tremble,  beneath  the 
smooth  surface  of  the  skin,  as  he  held  them. 

He  had  seen  women  before  in  all  stages  of  excite- 
ment, induced  by  wine  and  physical  emotions,  but 
this  was  totally  different;  this  joyous,  passionate, 
mental  elation  that  seemed  rushing  through  her  veins 
and  pouring  from  ^very  cell  of  her  slender,  supple, 
beautiful  body,  into  his  own. 

As  in  the  enchanted  garden,  she  seemed  less  an 
ordinary  woman  to  him  than  some  immortal,  with 
all  the  fires  of  Olympus  in  her  intoxicating  kiss.  He 


158       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

had  grudged  those  hours  of  the  dull,  uninteresting 
Sunday  that  he  had  spent  alone,  while  she  was  en- 
gaged in  her  work,  but  this  was  worth  it!  —  this 
moment  of  his  home-coming,  to  her  embrace,  and  the 
hour  which  followed,  when  the  painting  was  shut 
up  alone,  in  the  cold  studio,  and  he  drew  all  her 
joyous  passion,  her  ardent  energy,  to  himself! 

When  the  Rector  received  Everest's  letter,  which 
he  did  the  following  afternoon,  alone  in  his  study, 
his  face  was  a  complex  reflection  of  the  emotions  of 
joy  and  surprise.  He  knew  that  Regina  was  ex- 
tremely unworldly  (foolish,  he  considered),  but  that 
unselfishness  or  disinterestedness  could  take  any  girl 
so  far  as  to  refuse  Everest  was  something  his  mind 
could  hardly  grasp.  ...  So  Everest  had  been  im- 
mensely taken  with  her!  That  was  just  what  he 
had  thought.  .  .  .  And  he  had  actually  proposed  to 
her!  .  .  .  And  then,  the  little  imbecile  had  refused 
him! 

He  never  doubted  a  single  word  in  the  letter ;  the 
two  men  knew  each  other  and  understood  each  other 
perfectly,  and  he  felt  sure  what  Everest  had  written 
was  the  absolute  truth. 

He  sat,  absently  playing  with  the  sheet  of  paper  a 
long  time,  thinking.  As  things  were  now,  he  could 
not  certainly  do  any  good  by  interfering.  He  could 
only  hope  that  Regina  would  abandon  her  idiotic 
attitude  before  Everest's  passion  cooled.  Her  duty, 
of  course,  was  to  do,  as  every  good  woman  does :  tie 
up  the  man  firmly,  while  in  a  state  of  helpless  intoxi- 
cation, so  that  when  he  recovers  his  senses  he  may  be 
rigidly  bound,  and  none  of  his  struggles  to  escape  can 


CLEAR  WATERS  159 

avail  him  anything.  This  leaving  him  free  until  he 
was  sane  again  was  a  most  immoral  and  silly  idea. 
However,  there  it  was,  and  Regina  had  wonderful 
brains,  intellectually,  though  she  was  such  a  fool 
about  her  own  interests ;  she  was  just  the  sort  of  girl 
to  keep  a  man  like  Everest  in  love  with  her.  It 
might  turn  out  very  well. 

To  her  mother  he  had  better  state  the  case  as  it 
was ;  to  the  girls  he  should  say,  he  thought,  that  their 
sister  was  married.  Regina's  flight  had  not  oc- 
casioned much  stir  at  the  Rectory,  for  it  had  not  been 
discovered  till  the  following  morning,  and  then  al- 
most simultaneously  with  the  arrival  of  Everest's 
telegram.  Jane  had  cried  all  the  morning  over  this 
final  destruction  of  her  hopes,  and  had  not  appeared 
at  luncheon;  Violet  had  been  round-eyed,  silent  and 
stolid,  as  usual.  Mrs.  Marlow  had  violently  re- 
proached him  for  tearing  up  the  child's  paintings 
and  thrown  all  the  responsibility  of  Regina's  leaving 
home  upon  him,  and  he  had  finally  lost  his  temper, 
and  taken  her  by  the  shoulders,  and  put  her  out  of 
his  study,  and  she  had  not  been  at  luncheon  either. 
That  was  all. 

By  dinner  all  would  assemble  again,  with  only  the 
usual  feelings  of  aggravation,  dislike  and  hostility  to 
one  another. 

And  now  he  could  certainly  get  Everest  to  restore 
the  church  for  him.  It  needed  it  badly,  and  enlarg- 
ing too.  He  could  not  well  refuse  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, and  after  the  marriage  Lanark  Park 
would  be  a  nice  place  for  the  girls  to  stay  at.  What 
an  excuse  for  him  too;  for  frequent  visits  to  town 
...  to  see  Regina!  .  .  .  She  was  very  generous 


also.  Now  she  would  be  so  rich,  there  were  many  lit- 
tle loans  he  could  ask  of  her  —  a  motor  would  cer- 
tainly be  a  convenience,  for  the  more  distant  visits  to 
his  parishioners,  and  ready  cash  .  .  .  for  other  ex- 
penses that  it  was  troublesome  to  draw  cheques  for. 
.  .  .  Yes,  decidedly  the  news  was  good,  though  it 
might  have  been  better;  so  he  dipped  his  pen  in  the 
ink  and  answered  Everest's  note  at  once: 

"  MY  DEAR  EVEREST, —  Perhaps  you  can  imagine 
with  what  profound  sorrow  I  read  your  letter  of  yes- 
terday. I  am  doubly  wounded,  as  father  and  as 
clergyman. 

"  It  is  indeed  deplorable  that  a  girl  like  Regina, 
brought  up  so  carefully,  spiritually  watched  over  so 
tenderly,  grounded  so  thoroughly  in  religious  prin- 
ciples and  surrounded  by  the  purity  of  a  loving 
home,  should  have  taken  such  a  terrible  and  dis- 
tressing step. 

"  You  ask  me  to  have  confidence  in  you,  and  I 
think  you  know  already,  my  dear  Everest,  I  have 
the  greatest  confidence.  But  for  this,  the  blow  would 
be  insupportable.  You  must,  however,  realise  what 
a  father's  feelings  are  in  such  a  terrible  situation, 
and  I  trust  you  will  exert  yourself  to  the  utmost  to 
make  my  daughter's  position  an  honourable  one  as 
soon  as  you  possibly  can.  I  cannot  write  more  at 
present;  I  feel  it  all  too  keenly.  In  much  sorrow, 
your  old  friend, 

"  JOHN." 

He  read  that  over  with  satisfaction.  He  knew 
Everest  would  not  stand  the  least  coercion,  but  that 
to  say  he  had  confidence  in  him  and,  as  it  were,  to 


CLEAR  WATERS  161 

put  him  on  his  honour,  was  the  best  —  in  fact  the 
only  —  way  to  deal  with  him. 

With  a  bland  smile,  he  folded  the  letter,  put  it  in 
its  envelope  and  then  turned  to  his  sermon  for  next 
Sunday,  on  "  Candour  and  Honesty." 

When  Everest  received  this  letter  he  read  it 
through,  an  amused  smile  playing  over  his  hand- 
some face,  and  then  slipped  it  into  his  pocket,  with 
the  single  comment :  "  Jolly  old  humbug,  John !  " 

The  first  thing  on  Monday  morning  Regina  begged 
him  to  see  about  getting  her  picture  sold,  and  Ever- 
est sent  it  to  a  shop  he  knew  well  in  Bond  Street, 
with  instructions  to  frame  and  glaze  it,  and  expose  it 
in  the  window. 

Regina  asked  specially  that  the  price  might  be  put 
on,  and  fixed  it  without  consulting  anyone  at  seventy- 
five  pounds. 

Two  or  three  days  after,  in  Bond  Street,  they  saw 
a  little  knot  of  people  before  a  shop,  and  when  they 
came  up  to  it  found  it  was  "  The  Murderer  "  that 
made  the  attraction. 

The  painting  looked  very  fine  in  its  frame,  and 
leaning  back  at  just  the  right  angle  in  the  window. 
One  could  hardly  pass  it  without  at  least  a  side- 
ways glance,  and  nearly  everyone  paused  to  gaze 
at  it. 

Regina  stood  for  a  moment,  hearing,  with  Ever- 
est beside  her,  the  comments  on  her  work.  Out- 
wardly, she  was  quite  unmoved,  but  when  they  turned 
into  the  park  she  looked  up  at  him. 

Her  face  was  flushed  and  glowing,  her  eyes  shone 
softly.  "  Thank  you  so  much  for  arranging  it  all 
so  well  for  me.  I  shall  be  glad  when  it  is  sold.  It 


162       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

is  not  a  picture  one  wants  to  keep,  as  one  does  *  The 
Enchanted  Garden,'  and  then  after  a  pause :  "  All 
those  people  to-day  spoke  of  its  great  power,  didn't 
they  ?  It  was  fun  to  hear  them  talk !  " 

The  following  days  were  largely  occupied  in  get- 
ting clothes,  and  though  Regina  begged  him  not  to 
trouble  about  these,  he  came  with  her  and  superin- 
tended all  the  purchases. 

She  did  not  seem  to  wish  to  have  anything  sent  her 
from  the  Rectory,  and  she  never  inquired  what  Ever- 
est had  written  to  her  father,  nor  what  the  reply  had 
been.  For  her,  apparently,  her  home  and  all  its 
inmates  had  ceased  to  exist. 

These  days  spent  in  town,  empty  though  it  was, 
and  rather  dusty  and  disagreeable  at  that  time  of 
year,  were  full  of  a  wonderful  delight  for  them  both. 
Everest  was  gifted  with  a  marvellously  good  temper, 
the  result  of  his  perfect  health  and  strength.  Noth- 
ing ever  seemed  to  ruffle  or  disturb  him.  He  was  al- 
ways ready  to  laugh  at  those  thousand  little  contre- 
temps that  occur  in  life  from  day  to  day  —  he  never 
blamed  her  for  them,  even  when  she  deserved  it.  He 
was  always  satisfied  with  the  clothes  she  chose  and 
wore;  according  to  him,  she  was  always  dressed  in 
the  right  things,  and  looked  sweet  in  them.  He  sym- 
pathised with  her  in  her  smallest  troubles.  If  she  had 
an  ache,  or  pain,  or  a  cut  finger  it  was  a  serious 
matter  to  him;  and  in  these  days  of  intimate  com- 
panionship with  him  Regina  grew  to  know  what  the 
absolute  idolatry  of  another  meant.  She  had  come 
to  him  with  it  in  her  heart,  as  so  many  women  come 
to  their  lovers  and  husbands  with  that  precious  gift, 
but  in  nearly  every  case  the  intense  egoism,  the  want 


CLEAR  WATERS  16S 

of  all  consideration,  the  ungracious  ill-humour,  the 
constant  anger  over  petty  details  that  men  usually 
display  in  daily  life,  completely  destroy  it,  leaving 
the  woman  at  last  weary  and  indifferent.  Everest's 
gay,  sunny  disposition  was  very  like  Regina's  own, 
and  to  be  with  him,  after  living  in  the  depressing 
atmosphere  of  the  Rectory,  made  her  feel  as  a  bird 
might  feel  set  free  in  a  glad,  green  wood,  full  of  sum- 
mer light,  after  long  imprisonment  in  a  cellar.  Al- 
most breaking  with  its  own  delight,  her  heart  soared 
upwards  in  love's  bright  and  sunny  sky. 

The  picture  had  been  in  the  window  of  the  Bond 
Street  shop  a  few  days  when  late  one  afternoon  a 
middle-aged  man  entered,  and  nodding  to  the  pro- 
prietor took  a  chair  by  the  counter. 

"  I  see  you've  found  a  new  genius^  Jim,"  he  said, 
*'  and  you  are  doing  your  best  to  boom  it,  by  putting 
on  that  ridiculous  price ;  but  you  know  it's  too  much ; 
you  won't  get  it !  " 

"  Well,  sir,  it's  the  lady's  own  price.  I  am  selling 
it  for  her,"  answered  the  man  deferentially,  for  his 
visitor  was  a  constant  customer;  a  good  judge  of 
painting,  and  with  a  purse  as  sound  as  his  judg- 
ment. 

"  Oh,  it's  a  lady,  is  it?  So  much  the  better.  A 
pretty  one?  " 

"  I  shouldn't  like  to  say  so  very  pretty,  but  tall 
and  attractive,  and  so  bright  it's  just  like  sunshine  to 
see  her  come  in." 

"And  how  old?" 

"  Oh,  about  eighteen  or  nineteen  I  should  say." 

His  customer  nodded  contentedly. 

"  She  has  remarkable  talent  —  remarkable !     The 


164       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

choice  of  subject  alone  shows  that;  so  strong,  so 
original.  All  the  same,  I  can't  give  you  that  sum 
for  it.  It's  ridiculous.  You  just  take  off  two-fifty, 
and  then  we  can  talk  about  it." 

The  shopman's  face  was  a  study,  as  he  looked  back 
at  his  interlocutor.  He  had  known  Mr.  Burton  for 
twenty-five  years,  and  had  never  seen  him  intoxicated 
yet,  but  what  was  he  talking  about  now? 

"Two-fifty?"  he  repeated  blankly. 

"  Yes ! "  returned  the  other  testily,  thinking  he 
was  pondering  discontentedly  over  the  demanded  re- 
duction, "  I  say  two-fifty.  You  must  know,  as  well 
as  I  do,  that  five  hundred  is  a  fancy  price  for  a  water- 
colour.  However  I'll  stand  that;  it's  a  big  picture, 
and  something  quite  exceptional,  so  I'll  go  five  hun- 
dred, especially  as  the  lady  is  eighteen  and  attractive. 
But  not  any  more,  and  if  you  refuse  that,  you're  a 
fool,  Jim!" 

Jim  looked  down  at  his  glass  counter,  struggling 
with  his  amazement,  and  it  did  credit  to  his  good 
qualities  as  a  trader  that  his  face  presented  nothing 
more  than  the  surly  and  sour  look  of  one  who  is 
asked  to  reduce  his  price  for  a  valuable  object.  Rap- 
idly, he  tried  to  grasp  the  position,  and,  though  he 
could  not  find  at  once  the  key  to  it,  he  saw  that  there 
was  some  error  somewhere,  which  had  induced  Bur- 
ton to  make  him  an  offer  of  five  hundred  pounds 
for  a  picture  priced  at  seventy-five.  It  was  clearly 
his  duty  to  get  for  the  artist  the  most  that  anyone 
was  willing  to  pay  for  the  painting.  It  was  even 
more  his  duty  to  secure  the  largest  possible  com- 
mission for  himself. 

Here,  if  anywhere,  the  law  of  caveat  emptor  must 


CLEAR  WATERS  165 

apply.  Burton  had  seen  the  picture,  Burton  was  a 
connoisseur,  if  Burton  said  it  was  worth  five  hun- 
dred that  settled  it;  it  was  worth  it.  The  vocation 
of  picture-dealing  lends  a  mask  to  the  face  and 
adroitness  to  the  mind. 

Jim  looked  up  with  a  depressed  air. 

"  The  lady  fixed  the  price  herself,  sir.  ...  I 
don't  know  whether  I  ought  to.  .  .  ." 

Burton  interrupted  him :  "  Fiddlesticks !  Fiddle- 
sticks! I'll  write  you  a  cheque  for  five  hundred 
pounds,  and  you  send  it  to  the  lady  with  my  compli- 
ments, not  only  on  her  painting,  but  on  her  cheek  in 
asking  so  much  for  it.  Say  if  she's  not  satisfied,  she 
can  return  the  cheque  and  have  her  picture  back." 
And  he  drew  out  a  cheque-book  and  laid  it  on  the 
counter.  Jim,  inwardly  trembling  lest  at  any  mo- 
ment Regina  or  Everest  should  come  in  and  in  some 
way  spoil  this  amazing  bargain,  still  moved  slowly 
to  fetch  pen  and  ink,  and  put  it  before  his  customer 
with  the  grudging  air  of  a  man  who  hates  the  con- 
cession he  is  making. 

As  soon  as  Burton  was  engrossed  in  writing  he 
turned  to  the  window,  and  himself  lifted  the  picture 
from  it.  The  price  ticket  he  rapidly  transferred  to 
his  pocket,  before  Burton  looked  round.  He  had 
signed  the  cheque  and  pushed  it  over  to  Jim's  side 
of  the  counter.  He  stretched  out  his  hand  and  took 
the  painting. 

"  Turn  on  the  light.  .  .  .  Let's  see  how  it  looks 
by  electric." 

The  light  was  flashed  on,  and  the  beautiful  soft 
crimson  tones  of  the  sky,  the  fallen  brilliance  on  the 
snow,  lost  nothing  by  it. 


166       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

Strong,  masterly,  complete,  it  satisfied  the  eye  of 
the  judge,  as  he  scanned  it  rapidly  and  keenly. 

"  She'll  go  far,  very  far,  if  some  damned  love  busi- 
ness doesn't  cripple  her,"  he  muttered  to  himself,  and 
then  aloud  to  Jim : 

"  Tell  her  to  paint  me  a  pendant  to  this  —  any- 
thing she  likes,  and  I'll  give  her  another  five  hundred 
pounds,  but  not  more,  mind!  Gad,  I  do  like  her 
cheek!" 

"  Shall  I  send  this,  sir?  "  asked  Jim:  he  felt  himself 
turning  green  with  fear  lest  anything  should  happen 
before  he  could  get  Burton  and  the  picture  safely  off 
his  premises,  the  cheque  left  behind. 

"  No,  no !  Put  it  in  the  motor,  I'll  take  it  with 
me.  You  can  send  me  up  the  lady  herself,  if  you  like ! 
With  the  pendant,  you  know ! "  And  chuckling  at 
liis  own  joke  he  went  out  to  his  waiting  motor,  fol- 
lowed by  Jim,  grasping  the  picture  with  hands  that 
were  damp  and  cold  with  anxiety.  The  motor 
started,  and  he  went  back  to  his  shop. 

"  Well,  talk  of  luck !    !    ! " 

He  drew  the  ticket  from  his  pocket  and  looked  at 
it  under  the  electric  burner;  a  hair  had  curled  itself 
round  on  the  paper,  by  the  figures,  and  formed  a 
little  blot  after  them,  which  looked  something  like  a 
closed  nought.  The  ticket,  if  your  eye  happened  to 
catch  it  that  way,  read  £750,  and  nothing  else. 

Just  as  Everest  was  going  to  change  his  clothes  for 
dinner,  that  evening,  the  telephone  in  the  studio  called 
him  up.  He  went  to  it  and  heard  the  picture-dealer's 
voice : 

"  Would  you  mind  stepping  round,  sir,  for  a  mo- 
ment? It's  about  the  picture,  and  it's  important: 


CLEAR  WATERS  167 

only  please  don't  say  anything  to  the  lady  till  you've 
seen  me,  please,  sir." 

Everest  assented  and  went  back  to  Regina.  She 
was  seated,  ready  to  go  out  to  the  restaurant  where 
they  usually  dined,  dressed  in  a  white  dress  he  had 
chosen  for  her,  very  similar  to  the  one  she  had  worn 
at  the  Rectory  the  first  night  he  saw  her. 

"  I  like  to  see  you  in  one  like  that  —  it  brings  such 
happy  associations  with  it,"  he  had  said. 

A  collar  of  sapphires  he  had  given  her  was  round 
her  neck,  and  the  jewelled  star  he  had  sent  to  Stossop 
at  her  breast. 

She  looked  very  lovely,  as  she  always  did  in  even- 
ing dress,  the  wonderful  milky  whiteness  of  her  skin 
and  its  satin  surface  seemed  to  hold  the  eye  irre- 
sistibly. 

Beside  her  lay  her  dark  cloak,  white-lined,  ready  to 
slip  on.  *'  I  am  so  sorry,  but  I  must  go  out  for  a  few 
minutes.  Will  you  amuse  yourse^  till  I  come  back  ?  " 

She  looked  up  and  saw  Everest  with  his  hat  and 
coat  on. 

"  Certainly,  don't  hurry  on  my  account,"  she  said, 
smiling  up  at  him,  and  he  went  out. 

At  the  shop  he  found  Jim  in  a  state  of  dismay. 
Possible  complications  had  occurred  to  him.  He 
explained  the  whole  incident  to  Everest  and  then 
wound  up  with : 

"  I  didn't  know  what  to  say  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment,  as  you  might  call  it.  With  the  gentleman 
there,  pressing  me  to  take  five  hundred  pounds  for  it, 
it  seemed  nothing  less  than  my  duty,  but  for  heaven's 
sake,  sir,  don't  let  the  lady  give  me  away  about  it, 
fsr  if  Mr.  Burton  thought  I'd  made  him  pay  more 


168       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

than  I  might  have  done,  perhaps  he'd  never  come  into 
the  shop  again." 

Everest  listened  to  the  whole  recital  with  some 
amusement. 

"  I  can't  say  what  view  the  lady  will  take,"  he  said 
at  the  end.  "  But  I  am  quite  sure  she  won't  do  any- 
thing to  make  trouble  for  you.  As  you  say,  Burton's 
opinion  goes  far  to  making  the  value  of  it.  I  do 
not  see  any  harm  in  her  accepting  his  price  myself, 
but  she  may  choose  to  refuse.  We  shall  see." 

"  If  she  lets  on  that  she  fixed  the  price  at  seventy- 
five  pounds,  Burton'll  see  the  whole  game,"  wailed  the 
shopman.  "  Do  tell  her,  sir,  she  mustn't  give  me 
away  like  that." 

Everest  promised  he  would  see  he  was  protected, 
and  when  the  man  was  somewhat  calmed,  he  returned 
to  the  rooms. 

Regina  was  standing  by  the  mantelpiece,  gazing  at 
the  garden  picture,  when  he  entered. 

He  went  up  to  her,  and  bending  over  her  kissed  her 
white  shoulder,  and  pressed  the  cheque  into  her  hand. 

"  The  picture  was  sold  to-day  and  the  buyer 
thought  its  price  was  seven  hundred  and  fifty  pounds. 
He  offered  Jim  five  hundred  for  it,  and  the  man 
thought  it  his  duty  to  accept  it." 

Regina  gazed  back  at  him  with  astonished  eyes. 

"  Then  is  this  for  me  ?  "  she  asked,  unfolding  the 
cheque. 

"  Yes ;  Burton,  the  man  who  bought  it,  was  satis- 
fied to  give  that  for  it,  which  should  be  a  great  sat- 
isfaction to  you." 

"  It  is  ;  but  why  did  he  think  it  was  priced  at  seven 
hundred  and  fifty?  I  suppose  he  misread  the  card. 


CLEAR  WATERS  169 

I  think  I  had  better  write  and  tell  him  I  only  asked 
seventy-five  pounds." 

If  John  Mario  w  was  a  humbug,  Regina  certainly 
was  not.  Everest  watched  her  with  interest.  He 
knew  so  well  what  John  would  have  said  and  done  in 
a  like  case.  He  would  have  been  so  bland  and  glib, 
and  pocketed  the  cheque  so  smoothly! 

"  You  can't  very  well  without  giving  away  the 
shopman,  who  not  unnaturally  thought  he  was  doing 
his  best  for  you.  It  has  made  rather  a  difficult  situ- 
ation. You  had  better  think  over  what  you'd  like 
to  do  while  I'm  dressing." 

Regina  took  the  cheque  and  walked  back  into  the 
sitting-room.  She  sat  down  at  once  and  wrote: 

"  DEAR  SIR, —  Through  a  mistake  of  mine,  you 
were  asked  for  my  picture  more  than  I  intended.  I 
am  therefore  returning  you  your  cheque  for  five  hun- 
dred pounds  and  I  shall  be  quite  satisfied  if  you  will 
send  me  another  for  one  hundred  pounds  instead. 
Yours  faithfully, 

"  REGINA  ." 

And  here  she  paused.  It  was  the  first  note  she  had 
written  since  she  had  been  with  Everest.  What 
would  he  wish  her  to  sign  it?  She  left  it  open,  and 
sat  and  waited  till  he  came  in. 

Everest  picked  up  the  note  and  read  it;  then  he 
saw  the  blank  she  had  left,  and  took  the  pen  from  her 
and  wrote  in,  himself :  "  Lanark,"  and  she  pressed 
her  soft,  warm  lips  on  his  hand  as  it  laid  down  the 
pen. 

"  Can  that  do  any  harm  to  the  dealer  ?  "  she  asked. 
"  It  has  all  got  into  a  muddle,  and  I  hate  even  that 


170       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

note,  because  it's  not  absolutely  straight  facts,  but 
perhaps  it's  the  best  I  can  do.  What  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  I  think  it's  all  right,  if  you  want  to  return  the 
cheque,  which  there's  no  real  need  to  do,  since  Burton 
bought  the  thing  with  his  eyes  open." 

"  I  know,  but  there  is  a  feeling  he  was  somehow 
deceived.  I  would  rather  return  it,  I  think.  I  only 
want  the  seventy-five  pounds  I  asked  really,  but  I 
don't  dare  to  bring  that  in,  because  it  would  betray 
the  dealer.  It  would  strike  Burton  probably,  then, 
that  the  man  acted  as  he  did." 

She  put  the  note  in  an  envelope  and  addressed  it  at 
Everest's  dictation,  and  on  their  way  to  the  restau- 
rant they  posted  it.  Everest  meditated  in  silence  on 
her  action.  It  was  just  what  he  had  expected  of  her. 
He  saw  that  of  the  business,  worldly,  trader's  instinct, 
which  was  so  marked  a  feature  of  the  Rector's  char- 
acter, there  was  not  a  trace  in  Regina.  She  had  the 
aristocrat's  outlook  on  things,  similar  to  his  own, 
and  he  admired  the  quick,  decided  way  she  had 
instantly  refused  to  be  even  the  passive  party  to  a 
mild  deceit,  by  which  she  was  to  profit  considerably. 
That  Burton  had  considered  her  picture  worth  five 
hundred  pounds,  and  valued  it  at  that,  pleased  him 
also  greatly,  and  in  his  ears  rang  the  words  of  the 
connoisseur,  repeated  by  the  dealer: 

"  She  will  go  very  far,  if  some  confounded  love 
business  doesn't  cripple  her." 

And  suddenly,  besieged  by  many  thoughts,  he 
turned  to  her,  as  she  sat  beside  him  in  the  taxi,  and 
kissed  her  impetuously,  and  crushed  her  up  to  him, 
taking  the  girl  by  surprise.  But  she  was  always 
ready  for  his  caresses,  and  put  her  arm  up  round  his 


CLEAR  WATERS  171 

neck,  and  kissed  him  back,  although  it  was  ruffling  her 
hair,  and  crushing  to  death  the  tea-roses  she  had 
pinned  at  her  breast. 

The  next  day,  while  they  were  having  tea  together 
in  the  studio,  where  he  had  been  showing  her  his 
work,  she  received  Burton's  answer,  enclosing  the 
original  cheque: 

"  MY  DEAR  YOUN.G  LADY, —  Pardon  this  form  of 
address.  I  am  sure  you  must  be  very  young  to  be  so 
honest.  I  paid  five  hundred  pounds  for  your  picture, 
and  it's  more  than  worth  it.  I  had  an  advance  offer 
on  it  to-day. 

"  Go  to  work,  and  paint  me  another  as  soon  as  you 
can.  Any  subject,  and  the  price  to  be  five  hundred 
pounds.  Your  admirer, 

"  CHARLES  BURTON." 

"  I  am  so  glad,  Everest !  "  she  exclaimed,  the  bril- 
liant light  he  knew  so  well  leaping  up  in  her  eyes. 
"  A  thousand  pounds !  I  need  not  spend  more  than 
that  in  a  year,  and  so  be  no  expense  whatever  to  you." 

Everest  laughed. 

"  My  sweet,  no ;  but  if  you  cost  me  twenty  thousand 
a  year,  I  would  be  delighted  to  pay  it !  " 


CHAPTER  VI 

PABADISE    OR    .    .    .     ? 

ABOUT  a  week  later  the  flat  was  ready  for  them,  and, 
their  things  having  preceded  them,  they  drove  over  to 
it  in  the  afternoon. 

Tears  had  stood  in  Regina's  eyes  as  she  took  her 
possessions  out  of  Everest's  room  at  the  studio  to 
pack  them. 

"  I  have  been  so  wonderfully  happy  here,"  she 
exclaimed,  "  I  cannot  help  being  sorry  to  leave. 
This  is  where  I  came  and  took  you  by  surprise,  and 
you  were  so  good  fco  me." 

"  Well,  my  darling,  we  might  go  on  staying  here, 
only,  you  see,  it  is  not  very  comfortable  being  obliged 
to  go  out  to  all  our  meals.  I  generally  only  use  this 
place  in  the  summer,  and  when  I  am  up  just  for  a 
few  days  or  when  I  have  a  picture  on  hand,"  Everest 
had  answered,  coming  up  to  her. 

"  We  shall  soon  furnish  the  flat  with  as  much  joy 
and  happiness  as  we  have  had  here." 

Regina  laughed  and  sighed. 

"  The  best  furniture  of  all  —  joy  and  happiness," 
she  repeated,  and  went  on  steadily  packing. 

They  had  lived  quite  in  Bohemian  style  at  the  stu- 
dio, having  no  servants  to  wait  upon  them,  only  the 
concierge  of  the  whole  building  and  his  underlings, 

who  saw  to  the  cleaning  of  the  place  and  the  arrang- 

172 


PARADISE  OR  .  .  .  ?  173 

ing  of  the  rooms,  the  carrying  up  of  letters  and 
water,  wood  or  coal,  as  required.  Everest  had  made 
their  own  coffee  in  the  morning,  and  tea  in  the  after- 
noon. For  all  else,  they  had  relied  on  the  restau- 
rants outside.  There  had  been  a  charm  in  the  quiet- 
ness, the  simplicity  of  it  all,  in  the  utter  absence  of 
other  eyes  upon  them,  even  of  servants,  in  the  sense 
of  being  absolutely  alone  together  in  this  little  niche 
of  London,  and  to  the  girl  a  great,  an  indefinable 
charm,  in  knowing  this  was  his  own,  his  most  private, 
particular  niche,  where  he  had  lived  and  worked 
alone. 

When  they  reached  the  flat,  and  Everest  took  her 
over  it,  Regina  was  surprised  at  its  wonderful  com- 
fort and  luxury.  The  rooms  at  the  studio,  where 
they  had  been  staying,  were  large,  well  furnished  and 
in  perfect  order,  but  there  had  been  a  certain  sim- 
plicity about  them,  a  suggestion  that  they  were  used 
by  a  bachelor  in  his  hours  of  severe  and  solitary 
work.  The  whole  appearance  and  air  of  the  flat  was 
totally  different.  It  was  full  of  beauty  and  luxury, 
and  spoke  of  pleasure  and  ease,  and  the  delight 
of  the  senses.  Everest  had  been  preparing  it  for 
her,  and  his  heart  had  been  in  all  the  designing  of 
it,  while,  as  he  did  not  care  in  the  least  what  the 
bills  came  to,  everything  in  it  was  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  most  costly,  extravagant  type. 

It  was  spacious,  with  a  wide,  high  hall,  square  in 
shape,  from  which  the  various  rooms  opened,  and 
contained  two  large  bedrooms,  dining  and  drawing 
rooms  and  an  extra  sitting-room,  besides  all  the  of- 
fices, servants'  bedrooms,  kitchen  and  bathrooms. 
Regina  thought  the  bedroom  he  had  arranged  for 


them  the  most  beautiful  specimen  of  furnishing  she 
had  ever  seen.  It  was  all  in  white  and  silver,  with  a 
silver  chick  —  that  is  to  say,  long  curtains  composed 
of  vertical,  swinging  threads  of  silver  beads  —  en- 
closing the  entire  bed. 

The  walls  were  hung  with  white  satin  embroidered 
with  silver,  instead  of  being  papered,  and  the  cur- 
tains were  white  satin  and  velvet,  lined  with  silver. 
The  carpet  was  white  velvet  pile,  with  a  design  of 
lilies  of  the  valley,  and  their  pale  green  leaves 
wreathed  over  it,  and  outlined  in  silver,  and  all  the 
furniture  and  china  in  the  room  bore  out  the  same 
design.  The  whole  was  lighted  by  deep  rose-col- 
oured lamps,  enclosed  in  fairy-like  silver  open-work, 
the  tinted  light  flooding  everything,  which  other- 
wise might  have  seemed  too  cold,  with  tender  warmth. 

"  How  exquisite !  How  truly  lovely  1 "  she  ex- 
claimed to  him,  and  he  flushed  and  laughed,  and  said 
nothing  was  good  enough  for  her,  and  that  he  had 
designed  the  room  to  imitate  the  diamond-like  radi- 
ance of  her  mind,  and  the  satin  whiteness  of  her  skin. 

They  went  on  from  room  to  room,  Regina  admir- 
ing everything,  her  eyes  delighting  in  all  the  beauty 
and  perfection  of  it,  and  her  heart  beating  uncer- 
tainly to  think  of  the  homage  it  all  expressed  for 
her. 

They  came  back  finally  to  the  drawing-room, 
where  a  little  fire  burned  cheerily,  though  it  was  not 
at  all  cold,  and  the  window  was  open.  Tea  was  laid 
ready  for  them,  on  a  table  near  the  fire,  and  they 
sat  down,  opposite  each  other,  looking  into  each 
other's  eyes,  and  feeling  that  no  two  human  beings 
could  possibly  be  more  happy^  than  they  were. 


PARADISE  OR  .  .  .  ?  175 

Everest  had  thought  four  servants  would  be 
enough  for  them:  a  cook,  housemaid,  footman,  and 
his  own  valet.  He  had  offered  Regina  a  maid,  but 
she  had  begged  to  be  allowed  to  continue  without 
one. 

"  I  do  everything  so  simply  and  quickly  for  my- 
self. I  am  accustomed  to  it,  and  I  don't  want  to  be- 
come less  independent." 

Everest  had  replied  it  didn't  matter  at  all,  and  so 
the  question  was  left. 

The  valet,  Hammond,  had  greeted  Regina  respect- 
fully, inwardly  delighted  that  his  master  had  chosen 
her,  and  not  one  of  "  them  other  'aughty  and  stupid 
young  ladies  at  the  Rectory." 

"  You  must  be  quite  tired  with  all  that  tour  of 
inspection,"  Everest  said,  as  they  drew  up  their 
chairs  to  the  table,  "  have  some  of  these  hot  scones 
to  restore  you." 

"  I  shall  soon  be  restored  from  such  a  pleasant 
fatigue  as  that,"  she  returned,  laughing.  "  The 
rooms  are  so  beautiful,  they  are  just  like  lovely  pic- 
tures, and  you  have  had  so  many  of  your  own  things 
brought  here  they  look  as  if  we  had  been  living  in 
them  for  months  already." 

He  had  brought  many  personal  things  there,  and 
a  few  of  his  own  pictures,  which  pleased  her  more 
than  anything.  They  were  finely  finished  paintings 
of  tropical  scenery,  and  she  spent  a  long  time  study- 
ing them.  Her  own  picture  of  "  The  Enchanted 
Garden  "  he  could  not  bear  to  part  with  from  his 
bedroom,  and  it  stood  by  itself  on  a  table,  at  the 
foot  of  the  white  and  silver  bed. 

A  few  days  after  their  installation,  Everest  had 


176       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

to  leave  her,  to  go  into  the  country,  and  after  a 
morning's  work  on  her  new  picture  she  spent  the  aft- 
ernoon playing  the  piano. 

About  four  o'clock  she  rang  for  tea,  and  just  after 
it  had  been  brought  heard  the  hall  door  open  and 
footsteps  and  voices  outside. 

She  opened  the  drawing-room  door  and  saw  that 
the  footman  was  interviewing  a  tiny  and  extremely 
dainty  feminine  young  person,  dressed  in  black  velvet 
and  a  small  toque  covered  with  Parma  violets. 

She  had  a  sheaf  of  papers  in  her  hands,  some  keys 
and  a  gold  pencil,  and  a  velvet  bag  swung  from  her 
grey  gloved  wrist.  A  sudden  tremor  of  interest, 
though  she  could  not  tell  why,  and  could  only  see  the 
back  of  the  intruder,  ran  through  Regina. 

"  But  I  must  have  left  it  here,  because  I  have  al- 
ready looked  on  the  stairs  and  everywhere,"  she 
heard  the  girl  saying. 

"  I  am  sorry,  madam,  but  nothing  has  been  no- 
ticed here,"  the  footman  was  replying,  when  his  mis- 
tress stepped  forward. 

The  visitor  turned,  and  Regina  saw  she  was  face 
to  face  with  the  beautiful,  cameo-like  countenance 
she  had  seen  in  the  velvet  case  in  Everest's  room  at 
Stossop.  She  recognised  it  instantly  —  in  fact  it 
was  such  a  striking  face,  and  of  such  a  marked  type, 
it  would  have  been  quite  impossible  not  to  do  so. 
For  the  first  instant  Regina  thought  that  the  girl 
had  come  to  see  her.  Then  she  remembered  that, 
though  she,  Regina,  knew  her  by  her  portrait  and 
through  Everest's  remarks,  the  girl  had  never  seen 
and  probably  never  heard  of  herself,  and  was  in 
ignorance  equally  of  Everest's  being  at  this  address. 


PARADISE  OR  .  .  .  ?  177 

It  was  just  a  strange  chance  that  had  brought  them 
together. 

"  I  have  lost  my  pocket-book,  with  all  my  notes 
in  it  —  so  tiresome ! "  the  girl  was  saying,  as  she 
turned  to  Regina. 

"  I  called  to  see  the  flat  above,  and  mistook  the 
number.  I  came  in  here  before  I  discovered  my  mis- 
take, and  so  I  thought  I  might  have  dropped  my 
book  here,  as  I  can't  find  it  anywhere  else.  I  am 
tired  to  death  with  looking  at  flats  and  worrying 
over  them  and  now,  in  addition,  to  lose  my  pocket- 
book.  .  .  ." 

She  looked  very  tired,  her  face  was  flushed,  she 
seemed  nervous  and  half-inclined  to  cry. 

A  thought  came  to  Regina  that  she  would  like  to 
see  more  of  her.  She  was  truly  beautiful,  and  she 
was  Everest's  cousin. 

"  I  am  so  sorry,"  she  said  aloud,  "  but  won't  you 
come  in  and  rest  for  a  few  moments,  and  have  tea 
with  me?  I  am  quite  alone,  and  just  going  to  have 
mine." 

The  girl  hesitated.  Behind  Regina  she  could  see 
the  luxurious  and  inviting  room,  with  its  tea-table, 
burdened  with  good  things.  She  was  dreadfully 
tired  and  thirsty  .  .  .  her  motor  was  downstairs  at 
the  door,  and  could  easily  wait  .  .  .  tea  would  be 
delightful  and  she  could  spin  home  afterwards  in  no 
time. 

"  Oh,  thanks.  .  .  .  Well,  do  you  know,  I  think  I 
will  really.  ...  It  is  too  kind  of  you.  .  .  ." 

"  I  shall  be  delighted,"  returned  Regina.  And  the 
footman  closed  the  door,  while  the  two  women  passed 
into  the  drawing-room. 


178       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

She  gave  her  guest  a  low  easy-chair  by  the  fire, 
facing  the  window,  and  the  talk  was  all  about  the 
lost  pocket-book  for  many  minutes,  and  while  Regina 
listened  and  sympathised  she  studied  intently  the  face 
opposite  her.  The  girl  was  very  fair,  light  curls  of 
absolute  and  natural  gold  showed  under  her  tiny  hat, 
her  eyes  were  large  and  blue,  and  surmounted  by  pale 
brown  eyebrows,  most  perfectly  and  delicately  arched. 
The  features  were  exquisite  in  their  refinement,  in 
their  delicacy  and  finish  of  form.  A  tiny,  straight 
nose,  a  little  curled  upper  lip,  a  most  exactly  and 
elaborately  curved  mouth  of  scarlet,  a  ring  of  small, 
even  teeth,  a  perfect  chin,  set  on  a  round  column  of 
throat,  made  up  a  face  of  great  beauty.  The  skin 
was  of  the  colour  and  appearance  of  ivory,  and,  now 
that  the  flush  was  dying  away,  colourless,  except  for 
its  even  tone  of  cream.  She  was  exceedingly  small, 
there  seemed  hardly  any  body  at  all  in  the  tight-fit- 
ting black  velvet  gown. 

In  the  large,  voluptuous  easy-chair  she  looked  like 
a  beautiful  little  French  doll.  She  explained  how 
her  aunt  and  herself  were  looking  at  flats  for  some 
friends,  and  how  to-day  her  aunt  had  been  ill  and 
unable  to  come,  and  had  begged  her  to  motor  to 
some  different  addresses,  and  how  she  had  done  so, 
and  made  a  lot  of  notes  as  to  prices  and  conditions 
—  that  this  was  the  last  to  be  visited,  and  that  hav- 
ing done  that,  and  coming  downstairs,  she  had  missed 
her  book,  which  contained  the  whole  fruits  of  her 
labours,  and  she  was  ready  to  cry  with  vexation  over 
it,  etc.,  etc. 

She  talked  prettily  enough,  but  Regina  saw,  long 


PARADISE  OR  .  .  .  ? 

before  the  recital,  with  its  many  repetitions,  its  un- 
necessary details,  its  confused  arrangement,  was  over, 
the  kind  of  mental  equipment  she  possessed.  The 
losing  of  the  pocket-book  was  exactly  what  might 
have  been  expected  of  the  silly,  feather-headed  little 
creature. 

After  the  pocket-book's  loss  had  been  thoroughly 
deplored,  Regina  led  her  into  general  conversation. 
She  thought  possibly,  as  her  visitor's  eyes  strayed 
about,  they  might  recognise  some  of  Everest's  things, 
but  she  did  not  seem  to  do  so,  nor  to  know  the  pic- 
tures, on  which,  at  Regina's  invitation,  she  expressed 
some  very  banal  opinions.  She  seemed  to  admire  the 
furniture  of  the  flat  a  good  deal  more. 

Regina,  who,  like  all  great  natures,  had  practically 
the  double  disposition  of  male  and  female  in  her,  was 
always  greatly  attracted,  as  a  man  is,  by  beauty  and 
grace  in  a  woman. 

She  felt  no  hostility  to  it,  and  no  jealousy,  so  that 
Everest's  cousin  had  appealed  to  her  favourably  at 
first.  At  the  end,  however,  of  half-an-hour  the  girl 
had  tired  and  bored  her  by  the  inanity  of  everything 
she  said,  and  she  found  herself  wondering  whether,  if 
the  girl  married,  the  husband  would  shortly  after 
commit  suicide  or  enter  a  lunatic  asylum,  or  what 
would  be  his  fate,  and  she  was  glad  when  the  visitor 
said  she  must  go. 

"  It's  been  too  awfully  sweet  of  you ! "  she  said. 
"  I've  enjoyed  the  rest  so  much,  and  feel  quite  well 
again.  .  .  .  Good-bye.  .  .  ." 

Regina  wished  her  good-bye  and  accompanied  her 
to  the  hall.  True  to  English  traditions  of  good 


180       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

breeding,  they  had  conversed  all  the  time  without 
asking  each  other  a  single  question,  or  hearing  each 
other's  names. 

When  her  visitor  had  gone,  Regina  walked  over 
to  the  fire  and  gazed  long  at  her  own  face  in  the  mir- 
ror. 

Though  it  had  not  the  beauty  of  line  of  the  other 
girl's,  it  possessed  something  that  hers  had  not. 

Then  she  commenced  walking  up  and  down  the 
room.  She  was  asking  herself  this  question: 

"  That  girl,  with  all  her  possessions  and  her 
beauty,  could  she  make  a  man  as  happy  as  I  can, 
I  wonder?  " 

The  thing  interested  her,  and  she  pondered  over 
it  deeply  and  nearly  made  herself  late  in  dressing  for 
dinner. 

When  Everest  came  back  she  recounted  the  whole 
incident,  just  as  it  had  happened,  and  saw  him  con- 
tract his  eyebrows. 

"  So  Sybil's  in  town  now,"  he  remarked  merely, 
and  seemed  disinclined  to  pursue  the  subject. 

For  many  days  after  this,  Everest  was  very  much 
occupied,  and  out  a  great  deal,  and  Regina  devoted 
herself  to  the  painting  for  Burton. 

They  would  be  leaving  England  shortly  for  the 
winter,  and  she  was  anxious  to  complete  her  work  in 
good  time  before  they  had  to  start.  She  had  called 
her  subject  "  The  Great  Denial,"  and  she  hoped  to 
make  it  as  strong  a  picture  as  "  The  Murderer." 

It  was  the  interior  of  a  monastic  cell,  of  which  the 
cold  grey  stone  was  illumined  by  a  feeble  candle 
flame.  On  the  stone  ledge,  that  served  as  table, 
stood  a  plate  of  untouched  bread,  by  a  flagon  of 

*  -  "^  . *T '-  i  *ij^  ^ 


PARADISE  OR  .  .  .  ?  181 

water,  equally  untasted.  On  the  floor,  stretched  out, 
with  his  arms  extended  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  lay  the 
poor,  attenuated,  emaciated  figure  of  a  young  monk, 
apparently  asleep. 

Upon  his  face  rested  an  expression  of  extreme 
beatitude.  The  whole  end  of  the  cell  was  in  vivid 
light,  a  sort  of  rose  colour  deepening  into  crimson 
and  shot  through  with  gold,  and  from  the  centre  of 
the  rosy  mist  lifted  itself  the  etherealised  form  of  a 
woman.  In  her  face  shone  all  the  purest  and  ten- 
derest  qualities  of  sexual  love,  as  she  seemed  to  smile 
on  the  poor,  thin  figure  on  the  flagstones. 

Regina  worked  on  this  picture  slowly,  lovingly, 
with  tender  care,  different  entirely  from  the  fierce 
rush  of  inspiration,  the  fury  of  energy  in  which  she 
had  accomplished  the  other.  She  painted  chiefly 
while  Everest  was  out,  and  this  was  often,  for  he  had 
a  good  deal  to  do  and  attend  to  before  leaving  Eng- 
land for  an  indefinite  time. 

As  no  marriage  had  been  given  out,  he  could  not 
introduce  Regina  to  any  of  his  friends.  He  disliked 
equally  the  idea  of  lying  directly  about  her  position, 
and  of  running  the  risk  of  her  being  annoyed  or  in- 
sulted by  them.  So  he  saw  little  of  his  friends,  and 
refused  all  the  invitations  he  could.  Where  he  was 
obliged  to  accept,  he  went  alone,  and  Regina  was 
quite  happy,  for  she  wanted  nothing  but  Everest  him- 
self ;  friends,  amusement,  gaiety,  display  —  all  these 
were  nothing  to  her.  Her  love  and  her  art  filled  to 
overcrowding  her  daily  life. 

But  sheltered  though  she  lived  in  this  happy  seclu- 
sion, certain  rumours  of  the  enormity  of  Everest's 
conduct  reached  the  attentive  ears  of  his  family,  and 


182       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

to  her  surprise,  one  afternoon,  she  received  a  visit 
from  Everest's  sister.  She  was  sitting  alone  in  the 
large  drawing-room  of  the  flat,  half  buried  in  one  of 
the  luxurious  arm-chairs,  contemplating  with  dreamy 
satisfaction  the  finished  picture,  to  which  she  had 
been  adding  a  few  final  touches,  softening  here  and 
there  some  over-dark  lines.  With  the  brush  still  in 
her  hand,  she  sat  far  back  in  her  chair,  gazing  on  her 
work,  while  the  light  outside  diminished  and  the  great 
room  grew  dim,  lighted  only  by  the  wavering  glow 
from  the  fire.  She  would  not  ring  for  the  tea  to  be 
brought  up  till  Everest  came  back,  nor  turn  on  the 
light;  she  would  wait  for  him,  and  from  gazing  on 
the  picture  she  gradually  fell  to  musing  in  the  shadow- 
filled  room  and  meditating  on  her  life.  How  supremely 
happy  she  was  in  it !  She  could  not  imagine  at  that 
moment  one  other  gift  that  she  would  demand  from 
the  gods,  if  she  had  had  the  privilege  of  doing  so. 
How  perfect  the  union  between  herself  and  her  lover 
was !  She  wondered  if  it  were  usual,  this  harmony  of 
wish  and  desire,  of  thought  and  expression,  of  out- 
look and  view  between  two  people,  if  it  were  usual 
for  women  to  feel  that  adoration  for  the  lover  or 
husband  they  chose  that  she  felt  for  Everest,  so  that 
his  mere  entering  the  room  gave  her  joy,  his  smile 
upon  her  a  passionate  delight,  the  sound  of  his  voice 
an  excited  pleasure,  while  his  desire  for  herself  car- 
ried her  away  to  a  paradise  of  which  afterwards  her 
brain  could  hardly  realise  or  reconstruct  in  memory 
the  ecstasy.  As  she  was  dreaming  in  these  soft  rev- 
eries the  door  suddenly  opened,  and,  thinking  it  was 
Everest  himself,  she  sprang  up  to  welcome  him. 
It  was  the  footman,  however,  who  handed  her  a 


PARADISE  OR  .  .  .   ?  183 

salver,  from  which  she  took  and  read  the  little  white 
slip: 

"  Miss  Lanark." 

"  Say  I  am  at  home,"  she  said,  and  turned  on  the 
light,  filling  the  room  with  soft  rose  colour  from  its 
many-shaded  lamps.  After  a  moment  Miss  Lanark 
entered.  The  luxury  of  the  beautifully  furnished 
room  struck  upon  her  senses  disagreeably,  the  warmth, 
the  light,  the  extreme  comfort  of  it,  the  beauty  of  its 
velvet  hangings  and  carpet,  its  silken  curtains,  the 
fragrance  of  the  exotic  flowers  on  the  tables  im- 
pressed her  just  as  she  expected  to  be  impressed,  com- 
ing to  her  brother's  rooms  from  the  severe  simplicity 
of  her  own  Scottish  home.  Here  was  comfort, 
luxury,  beauty ;  all  the  accompaniments  of  vice. 
She  glanced  towards  her  hostess,  standing  to  receive 
her.  Here  too,  just  as  she  expected:  the  girl  was 
richly  dressed;  a  gown  of  pastel-blue  velvet  fitted 
close  —  so  closely  and  smoothly  Miss  Lanark  had 
never  seen,  except  on  the  stage,  in  her  rare  visits  to 
the  theatre  —  the  beautiful,  supple  figure  of  the 
wearer,  and  fell  in  gracious  folds  round  her.  There 
seemed  old  lace  and  some  pearls  about  her  throat, 
and  above  rose  her  face,  so  soft  and  warm  and  vivid 
in  its  fair  colouring  that  it  suggested  being  painted. 
Yes,  it  was  all  there  just  as  she  had  imagined.  The 
picture  was  complete.  Beauty,  ease,  luxury,  happi- 
ness, these  must  and  did  mean  —  sin. 

She  took  the  chair  the  girl  drew  forward  for  her. 
She  was  very  calm  and  self-possessed,  and  Regina 
thrilled  through  all  her  being,  recognising  in  her  just 
that  same  wonderful  grace  of  bearing,  that  air  of 
perfect  breeding,  that  charmed  her  so  in  Everest.  She 


184       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

was  about  ten  years  older  than  he  was,  and  her  hair 
was  grey,  while  his  was  quite  black,  but  she  had  the 
same  beautiful  features,  only  whereas  in  Everest's 
case  the  face  was  all  light  and  fire,  life  and  animation, 
the  sister's  was  dead  and  grey  and  cold,  unsmiling  and 
severe. 

"  I  have  come  to  talk  to  you  about  my  brother," 
she  said,  without  any  preface,  and  Regina  heard  the 
gentle,  refined  tones  of  Everest's  voice,  only  with  the 
music  left  out. 

"  I  am  so  glad,"  she  rejoined  simply.  "  There  is 
no  subject  so  dear  to  me.  I  worship  him." 

This  last  phrase  offended  Miss  Lanark;  men  and 
women,  in  her  estimation,  should  like  and  esteem  each 
other.  They  should  not  use  the  word  "  worship  " 
about  each  other,  but  keep  that  for  their  Maker.  She 
passed  this  over  in  silence  on  this  occasion,  and  pur- 
sued coldly: 

"  Then  don't  you  see  how  wrong  it  is  to  be  living 
with  him  like  this,  and  keeping  him  from  doing  his 
duty  to  himself  and  his  .family?  " 

"  What  is  Everest's  duty?  "  queried  Regina,  gaz- 
ing at  her  visitor  with  genuine  interest. 

For  the  moment  Miss  Lanark  was  disconcerted. 
She  had  not  really  thought  of  that.  The  ordinary 
run  of  people  make  use  of  a  number  of  set  phrases, 
that  have  been  composed  for  them  and  passed  on  by 
others,  and  the  direct  questions  of  the  few  who  think 
for  themselves  generally  bring  confusion  and  discom- 
fort upon  them. 

"  Well  ...  er  ...  to  ...  er  ...  marry  some 
proper  and  fitting  person,  and  have  children  to 
inherit  his  name  and  estates.'* 


PARADISE  OR  .  .  .   ?  185 

"  Wouldn't  it  be  just  as  good  for  the  family,  and 
everybody,  if  his  brother  inherited  them  ?  " 

Again  Miss  Lanark  felt  a  little  uncertain  of  her 
ground. 

"  No,"  she  said,  with  some  asperity,  after  a  minute ; 
"  I  don't  think  it  would." 

"  But  Everest  was  not  doing  all  that  when  he  met 
me,"  objected  Regina.  "  He  spent  his  time  travelling 
about  over  the  world,  and  loving  and  being  loved  by 
all  sorts  of  people." 

Miss  Lanark  drew  herself  together  very  rigidly  on 
her  chair,  the  lines  of  her  mouth  set. 

"  I  am  quite  aware  that  Everest  has  been  very 
wild,"  she  said  icily,  "  but  we  all  hoped  he  would  come 
home  and  settle  down  now  to  a  quiet  and  godly  life.'* 

Regina  was  silent  for  a  few  moments.  Her  gaze 
swept  round  the  peaceful,  restful  room,  where  the 
walls  had  never  echoed  a  hard  or  unloving  word  all 
the  time  that  she  and  Everest  had  occupied  it,  which 
had  enclosed  a  shrine  of  perfect  love,  where  both  had 
vied  with  each  other  in  self-sacrifice,  in  tenderness,  in 
devotion,  and  wondered  if  indeed  any  life  could  be 
more  godly  than  theirs. 

"  We  all  hoped  he  would  marry  his  cousin,  Lady 
Constance  Sybil  Graham,  on  his  return  to  this  coun- 
try, and  he  would  have  done,  I  believe,  but  for  you. 
He  would  now,  if  —  if "  She  hesitated. 

"  You  think  it  would  be  a  good  beginning  for  the 
godly  life,  to  desert  me,  when  I  love  him  and  he  loves 
me,  in  order  to  marry  someone  who  has  a  better 
worldly  position,  is  that  it  ?  "  Regina  asked,  leaning 
forward.  Her  eyes  were  full  of  mirth. 

Miss  Lanark  felt  horribly  embarrassed.     It  is  so 


186       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

difficult  to  keep  up  the  religious  and  the  worldly  line 
of  argument  side  by  side.  She  hesitated  and  then 
said  coldly: 

"  A  sister  has  to  consider  her  brother's  worldly 
interests  as  well  as  the  welfare  of  his  soul,  and  if  you 
would  listen  to  your  better  nature,  and  set  him  free 
by  going  away  from  him,  both  would  benefit,  I  feel 
sure." 

This  was  a  little  ambiguous,  but  Regina  under- 
stood the  "  both  "  to  refer  to  Everest's  soul  and  his 
worldly  interests.  She  looked  away  to  the  fire  in 
silence ;  to  her  open,  courageous  nature,  to  her  single- 
ness of  mind,  it  seemed  truly  marvellous  this  straining 
after  the  cloak  of  religion,  this  dragging  of  the 
mantle  of  piety  round  the  grinning  skeleton  of  lust 
after  riches  and  worldly  good. 

Miss  Lanark  brought  with  her  into  this  room,  where 
Everest  and  she  had  led  such  a  frank,  sincere  and 
natural  existence,  just  the  same  atmosphere  of  falsity, 
of  pretence,  of  humbug,  that  had  pervaded  the  Rec- 
tory. She  could  well  understand  how  Everest  had 
hated  his  home  as  she  had  hated  hers,  and  with  this 
thought  came  the  sweet  recollection  of  a  phrase  of 
his,  uttered  in  one  of  their  close  embraces : 

"  I  have  never  known  happiness  till  now." 

"  Everest  is  perfectly  free  to  leave  me  if  he  likes," 
she  answered,  after  a  minute.  "  I  should  never  stand 
in  the  way  of  his  marrying  or  doing  anything  he 
wishes,  but  while  he  is  perfectly  happy  I  am  not  going 
to  leave  him  and  cause  him  distress  and  pain,  nor  am 
I  going  to  try  to  force  him  into  a  marriage  with  a 
commonplace  woman,  who  I  don't  believe  could  sat- 
isfy him." 


PARADISE  OR  .  .  .   ?  1ST 

"  Commonplace  woman !  A  girl  of  that  splendid 
family,  with  all  that  money  and  a  title ! " 

"  None  of  those  things  prevent  her  being  common- 
place," returned  Regina  calmly. 

"  You've  never  seen  her,  you  don't  know  anything 
about  her." 

"  Yes ;  she  came  here  one  day  for  a  few  minutes, 
about  some  business." 

"  You  could  not  tell  in  that  time  what  she  was 
like." 

"  I  saw  her  and  talked  to  her.  I  should  be  very 
stupid  if  I  could  not  tell  then  what  sort  of  person  she 
was." 

Miss  Lanark  rocked  herself  backwards  and  for- 
wards in  her  chair  in  silence. 

"  To  think  of  my  brother,"  she  moaned,  after  a 
pause,  "  with  all  his  wealth,  his  attainments,  his  op- 
portunities, doing  nothing  with  them  —  living  in  sin, 
like  this !  " 

Regine  leant  back  in  her  chair. 

"  Everest  is  rather  anxious  to  marry  me,"  she  re- 
marked. "Would  you  like  that  better,  if  he  did?" 

Miss  Lanark  started  and  sat  bolt  upright: 

"  You!  Marry  you!  A  country  rector's  daugh- 
ter, and  an  artist!  "  Had  she  said  "  criminal  "  the 
accent  could  not  have  been  more  marked.  "  And 
Everest!  He  could  have  anybody!  There  is  not 
one  girl  in  town  who  would  refuse  him  .  .  .  and  then, 
to  marry  you !  " 

"  Still,  he  would  not  be  living  in  sin,  would  he?  " 
returned  Regina,  nibbling  the  end  of  her  paint-brush 
and  looking  across  the  red  firelight  at  her  visitor, 
with  a  laugh  in  her  great,  lustrous  eyes. 


188       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

Miss  Lanark  covered  her  face  with  her  thin,  beau- 
tifully gloved  hands. 

"  Oh,  it  is  all  horrible !  —  whether  he  marries  you 
or  lives  with  you.  .  .  .  Cannot  you  go  away  and 
leave  him  to  marry  someone  suitable,  as  he  would 
have  done,  but  for  you?  " 

"  Ypu  think  for  him  to  marry  a  woman  he  disliked, 
and  perhaps  hated,  would  be  better  than  to  live  with 
one  he  loves,  without  marriage?  " 

"  Oh  yes!  "  replied  Miss  Lanark,  so  fervently  that 
Regina  sat  silent,  thinking  how  truly  *'  the  letter 
killeth,  but  the  spirit  giveth  life,"  marvelling  at  the 
distance  away  from  the  truth  of  their  religion  the 
modern  Christian  has  got. 

"  Well,  you  see,  I  don't.  I  consider  hate  is  a  wrong 
and  wicked  thing  in  itself,  essentially  evil;  and  I 
think  wedded  hate  is  a  great  deal  worse  than  un- 
wedded  love,  so  that  I  am  afraid  I  cannot  meet  you 
in  any  way,  except  by  accepting  Everest's  proposal 
that  we  should  marry  each  other,  but  so  far,  for  his 
sake,  I  have  thought  it  better  for  him  to  be  quite 
free." 

Miss  Lanark  wiped  her  eyes  and  coughed,  then  she 
said  hesitatingly: 

"  Of  course,  if  you  would  go,  Everest  is  in  a  posi- 
tion to  give  you  a  very  good  allowance  indeed."  She 
stopped  weakly,  her  throat  seemed  to  dry  at  the 
words. 

Regina  simply  laughed,  quietly,  musically.  Miss 
Lanark  recognised  what  a  charm  such  a  laugh  would 
have  for  a  man. 

"  I  don't  think  I  am  in  need  of  an  allowance  from 
Everest,  or  anybody  else,"  she  answered,  glancing  at 


PARADISE  OR  .  .  .   ?  189 

the  great  picture,  on  which  the  red  light  of  the  fire 
glowed  softly,  as  if  it  would  caress  it. 

Just  at  that  moment  the  door  opened  and  Everest 
came  in.  Regina  sprang  up  and  ran  to  meet  him,  as 
she  was  accustomed  to  do.  They  embraced  and 
kissed,  quite  oblivious  of  their  visitor,  whom  Regina 
had,  for  the  moment,  utterly  forgotten,  and  Everest 
had  not  even  seen,  submerged  as  she  was  in  the  depths 
of  a  velvet  chair,  with  its  back  to  the  door. 

Regina  remembered  her  after  a  minute. 

"  Your  sister  is  here,"  she  whispered  in  his  ear,  as 
they  came  together  towards  the  fire. 

During  their  embrace  by  the  door,  Miss  Lanark, 
who  had  never  been  kissed  by  a  man  in  her  life,  and 
who  secretly  felt  great  curiosity  as  to  what  the  dread- 
ful sensation  would  be  like,  was  sitting  rigidly  with 
locked  hands  in  her  lap,  gazing  straight  before  her 
into  the  fire  when  they  approached.  She  was  telling 
herself,  inwardly,  she  hated  people  making  exhibitions 
of  their  feelings  before  others,  but  it  was  all  like  the 
rest;  just  what  she  had  expected:  extravagance 
everywhere,  and  no  restraint  of  any  kind. 

"  How  are  you,  Clara?  "  asked  Everest,  in  not 
too  pleased  a  tone.  "  I  didn't  know  you  were  in 
town." 

"  No,"  returned  Miss  Lanark  coldly.  '*  I  came 
yesterday  on  purpose  to  see  if  various  reports  I  had 
heard  at  home  were  true,  and  to  call  upon,"  she  hesi- 
tated, and  then  added,  "  this  lady." 

Everest  did  not  take  up  her  speech  in  any  way. 

"  How  did  you  get  this  address?  "  he  said  merely, 
taking  the  silk  scarf  from  his  neck.  Regina,  watch- 
ing his  face,  saw  it  grow  dark  with  annoyance. 


190       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

"  I  went  to  the  studio,  and  they  gave  it  me  there,*' 
his  sister  rejoined,  rising. 

"  You  will  stay  and  have  some  tea  with  us  surely, 
now  Everest  has  come  in,"  Regina  said,  with  her  hand 
on  the  bell,  but  Mi3s  Lanark  declined  stiffly. 

She  felt  she  must  get  away  from  this  distasteful 
place.  The  whole  atmosphere  seemed  to  her  hot  with 
emotion,  loving  emotion,  and  loving  emotion  meant 
wickedness.  Had  Miss  Lanark  wished  to  make  a 
representation  of  hell,  she  would  certainly  have 
drawn  all  the  damned  souls  kissing  each  other.  To 
have  depicted  them  murdering  or  robbing,  toasting 
or  frying  or  torturing  each  other,  would  have  seemed 
to  be  delineating  too  trivial  and  insignificant  offences, 
but  if  they  were  represented  as  kissing !  That  would 
immediately  explain  why  they  were  there,  and  how 
fully  they  deserved  it. 

She  held  out  her  hand  to  Regina. 

"  I  sincerely  hope  you  will  think  aver  what  I  have 
said.  We  all  of  us  have  to  make  sacrifices  to  duty." 

"  Certainly,"  returned  Regina.  "  One's  duty  to- 
wards others  should  be  the  first  thought  in  one's 
life." 

Her  tone  was  calm,  grave  and  beautiful ;  she  voiced 
exactly  what  was  indeed  the  rule  of  her  being. 

Miss  Lanark  felt  as  if  someone  had  thrown  cold 
water  in  her  face.  She  turned  to  the  door  in  silence. 

"  I  suppose  I  shall  see  you  before  you  go  abroad 
this  winter,  Everest?  "  she  added  to  her  brother. 

"  Oh,  no  doubt  —  we  sha'n't  start  till  September," 
he  rejoined,  going  to  the  door  to  hold  it  open  for 
her. 

Miss  Lanark's  thin  cheek  flushed  at  the  word  "  we." 


PARADISE  OR  .  .  .  ?  191 

So  this  beautiful,  warm-looking,  kissing  woman  was 
going  to  be  taken  out  with  him !  She  lifted  her  eyes 
at  the  door,  and  hers  and  her  brother's  met. 

His  brows  were  quite  calm,  his  forehead  smooth, 
but  his  gaze  met  hers  with  an  iron  determination  in 
it. 

"  You  had  better  not  interfere  with  my  affairs," 
was  what  it  plainly  said,  and  she  went  out,  cold  with 
anger  and  indignation. 

Everest  came  quickly  over  to  the  hearth. 

"  What  has  that  tiresome  woman  been  saying?  "  he 
asked. 

Regina  had  resumed  her  seat,  and  was  gazing  into 
the  fire. 

"  Nothing,  dearest,  very  particular.  Only  what  I 
know  already ;  that  in  a  worldly  sense  I  am  not  good 
enough  for  you.  .  .  .  And  she  also  seemed  to  think 
if  you  married  a  rich  woman  it  would  be  good  for 
your  soul,  as  well  as  your  prospects,  though  I  can't 
follow  her  reasoning  myself ! " 

"  Damned  lot  of  hypocrites,  all  my  people  are ! " 
remarked  Everest  in  answer;  and  then  he  thought  of 
John  Marlow  and  his  letter  of  "  profound  sorrow." 
"  I  suppose  they  are  all  like  that,  don't  let's  bother 
about  them!  Give  me  some  tea." 

The  tea  had  been  brought  in,  and  Regina  poured 
it  out  for  him  with  loving  care  over  every  detail.  He 
took  it  from  her,  and  they  sat  in  silence  for  a  few 
minutes,  rejoicing  in  being  together  again  after  some 
hours'  separation. 

Then  Everest  leant  forward  and  said  very  ear- 
nestly : 

"  I  think,  my  darling,  you  had  better  marry  me 


192       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

now,  before  we  start  on  the  Egyptian  tour.  I  want 
to  take  you  up  the  Nile  this  winter,  and  show  you 
the  Soudan.  I  was  arranging  about  it  to-day,  my 
own  dahabeeyah  is  there,  and  I  have  given  orders  it's 
all  to  be  refitted  for  you,  by  September.  .  .  .  Then, 
later,  we'll  go  into  camp  together,  and  do  a  little 
lion-hunting,  if  you  like.  .  .  .  But,  you  see,  it's  all 
rather  risky  work,  and  I  would  like  to  know  that  we 
were  married,  and  it  was  all  straight  and  square,  so 
that  if  there  were  any  accident  to  me  you  would  be 
in  a  good  position." 

"  If  there  were  any  accident  to  you,  nothing  would 
matter  any  more  at  all,"  returned  Regina,  in  a  low 
tone;  and  Everest  came  over  and  knelt  by  her  low 
chair,  putting  both  arms  round  the  supple  waist,  that 
felt  so  warm  and  soft  in  its  smooth  velvet  casing. 

"  Dear  little  girl,  you  are  much  too  good  to  me. 
Nobody  has  ever  loved  me  as  you  do.  I  bought  a 
rifle  and  a  pistol  for  you  to-day,  and  I  am  having  a 
gold  plate  with  '  My  Darling '  engraved  on  it,  put  on 
both,  because  you  said  you  loved  to  hear  me  say 
that." 

"  But,  if  we  do  go  to  the  Soudan,  you  won't  ask 
me  to  kill  anything,  will  you  ?  "  she  asked,  a  look  of 
startled  apprehension  in  her  eyes.  "  As  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  the  animals  are  all  my  personal  friends 
and  relations.  They  are  one  family  with  human  be- 
ings. I  do  not  think  there  is  any  real  difference. 
Life  is  uniform  everywhere.  Only  in  some  forms  it 
has  greater  power  and  capacity  than  in  others." 

"  I  shall  not  ask  you  to  kill  anything,"  returned 
Everest,  smiling.  "  But  you  must  learn  to  shoot 
well,  both  with  a  pistol  and  rifle.  It's  quite  as  nee- 


PARADISE  OR  .  .  .  ?  193 

essary,  more  necessary,  for  a  woman  than  a  man. 
And  you  will  be  a  splendid  shot,  with  your  eye,  that 
can  see  the  deviation  of  a  hair  in  your  painting. 
That  feeling  for  the  straight  line  must  mean  good 
shooting.  And  our  marriage?  Come,  now.  .  .  ." 

"  If  you  continue  perfectly  happy  with  me,  and 
other  things  .  .  .  are  just  as  we  wish  .  .  .  then  I 
will  marry  you  at  Khartoum,"  replied  Regina  very 
softly,  a  beautiful,  crimson  flush  passing  over  her 
face,  "  but  not  before.  .  .  ."  And  then  she  kissed 
him,  and  let  her  white  fingers  play  with  his  thick  and 
glorious  black  hair,  and  Everest  forgot  what  they 
were  talking  about,  forgot  everything,  except  that 
where  she  was  was  paradise,  though  Miss  Lanark,  as 
we  know,  had  thought  of  another  place  in  connection 
with  her  brother's  flat. 

Late  that  same  night,  lying  in  her  white  and  silver 
bed,  Regina  thought  very  seriously  over  things,  her 
mind  being  very  far  from  sleep.  As  from  the  first, 
she  only  had  the  single  desire  to  do  the  best  for  Ever- 
est ;  and  for  many  days  now  the  question  had  haunted 
her  mind:  what  if  Nature,  by  some  evil  fate,  denied 
her  after  all  the  power  of  maternity?  She  had 
heard  and  read  that  passionate,  excitable  natures 
gifted  mentally,  and  sensitive  in  mind  and  brain, 
were  not  the  best  reproducers  of  their  race.  Nature 
cares  for  the  type,  the  rule,  and  to  exceptional  beings 
she  denies  sometimes  the  rights  she  allows  to  those 
who  are  stolid,  faithful  models  of  the  average. 

Regina  felt  her  own  wish  went  for  nothing  in  the 
matter.  On  the  contrary,  as  in  artistic  creation,  a 
great  wish  seems  to  war  against  production.  She 
thought  of  all  the  poor  royal  women  who,  through 


194       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

the  ages,  had  asked  the  common  gift,  and  been  de- 
nied! 

No;  incredible  as  it  seemed  to  her,  considering  all 
the  health  and  strength  and  love  they  both  possessed, 
it  still  might  be  that  she  would  not  be  able  to  give 
him  the  one  thing  he  had  said  he  wished  in  marriage. 
Then,  if  he  was  married  to  her,  bound  to  her,  it 
would  be  impossible  for  him  ever  to  realise  his  desire 
for  an  heir,  ever  to  dispose  of  his  property  as  he 
wanted  to.  She,  herself,  could  not  free  him,  except  by 
her  death,  which  would  mean  sorrow,  or  her  desertion, 
which  would  mean  disgrace  —  for  him.  She,  unfruit- 
ful, useless,  would  be  standing  in  the  place  of  another 
woman,  who  possibly  would  have  done  for  him  what 
she  could  not. 

The  thought  was  so  bitter  she  clenched  her  hands 
as  it  came  to  her.  No,  she  would  leave  him  free, 
until  at  least  she  was  sure  she  had  the  capacity  for 
motherhood. 

Even  then  she  might  not  bear  a  son,  but  that  was 
a  risk  she  must  take,  and  every  other  woman  equally 
with  her,  since  conventional  law  makes  it  necessary 
that  marriage  must  precede  the  birth  of  the  child 
for  it  to  be  legitimate.  That,  she  could  not  help,  no 
means  of  hers  could  avoid  that  risk  for  him.  But 
no  other  would  she  allow,  for  her  own  advantage. 
Truly  and  really,  she  kept  to  her  duty,  as  she  had 
announced  it  to  Miss  Lanark. 

And  wearied  out  at  last,  by  much  thought  for  the 
dear,  unconscious  one  beside  her  she  too,  at  last,  fell 
asleep. 

The  next  day  the  rifle  and  the  pistol  were  sent 
home,  and  Everest  explained  to  her  carefully  all  the 


PARADISE  OR  .  .  .   ?  195 

properties  and  powers  of  the  death-dealing  objects. 
She  listened  to  it  all  most  attentively: 

"  This  is  the  best  part  about  them,  I  think,"  she 
said,  when  he  had  finished,  and  bent  over  the  "  My 
Darling  "  engraved  upon  them,  and  kissed  it. 


CHAPTER  VII 

ITITH    THE    GREAT    KIVER 

THE  Nile  lay,  gleaming  exquisitely  lilac,  between  its 
banks  of  golden  sand,  calm  and  smooth,  with  a  soft 
sheen  upon  its  surface,  it  moved  forward  as  molten 
glass,  without  a  ripple,  without  a  murmur,  in  the  still- 
ness of  the  sunset  hour.  The  palms  on  Elephantine 
Island  held  their  feathery  foliage  without  movement 
against  the  rosy  violet  of  the  glowing  sky.  The 
burnished  sand,  unruffled  by  any  breeze,  stretched 
level  and  even  on  every  side,  each  grain  of  it  seeming 
to  glitter  and  sparkle  with  tawny  and  deep  orange 
hues,  as  if  some  Emperor  had  had  a  carpet  of  jewels, 
of  topaz  and  yellow  amethyst  unrolled  along  the  river 
banks,  flashing  and  shining  under  the  red-gold  fire  of 
the  sun  rays. 

Not  a  sound  jarred  upon  the  stillness;  from  the 
gold  tips  of  the  palms  to  the  glow  on  the  dreaming 
river  all  was  wrapped  in  an  infinite  peace. 

Some  little  distance  from  the  island,  motionless, 
with  its  sails  hanging  like  curtains  of  gold  and  lilac 
silk  in  the  evening  light,  lay  the  dahabeeyah  of  the 
Lanarks,  and  on  its  deck  Everest  and  Regina  were 
sitting  side  by  side,  in  long  cane  chairs,  watching  the 
lustre  of  the  western  sky. 

They  had  joined  the  dahabeeyah  at  Cairo,  and, 
with  its  steam  tug  to  pull  them  up,  it  had  not  taken 

them  long  to  get  as  far  as  this  on  their  way. 

196 


WITH  THE  GREAT  RIVER  197 

The  boat  was  a  thing  of  beauty ;  all  fitted  in  purple 
and  silver.  It  was  named  The  Empress,  in  honour 
of  Regina,  and  was  well  worthy  of  its  name.  When 
the  girl  went  through  it  she  felt,  for  the  first  time,  a 
rejoicing  in  Everest's  wealth,  since  it  gave  him  the 
power  to  provide  such  a  setting  for  their  love.  As 
she  entered  the  sleeping  saloon,  large  and  spacious 
as  any  room  on  land,  and  her  eyes  fell  on  the  bed  at 
one  side,  with  its  purple  velvet  curtains,  lined  with 
mauve  satin,  her  feet  faltered.  She  turned  aside  and, 
leaning  her  hand  on  the  window  sill,  looked  down  into 
the  pale  green  waters  below. 

Her  relations  with  Everest  were  still  too  new  to 
her,  and  all  the  emotions  that  filled  them  too  intense, 
for  her  to  be  able  to  look  upon  the  room  they  were  to 
occupy  together  with  indifference. 

Beyond  the  sleeping  saloon,  which  occupied  the 
whole  width  of  the  boat,  thus  obtaining  a  very  wide 
and  gracious  form,  came  two  small  dressing-rooms 
and  bathrooms,  and  beyond  these,  a  covered  topped 
space,  with  open  sides,  a  verandah,  as  it  were,  in  which 
to  sit  idly,  contemplating  the  changing  view  of  the 
river  sides. 

It  was  here  they  were  sitting  now,  absorbed  in  that 
wonder  of  light  and  colour  that  makes  Egypt's  pe- 
culiar beauty. 

At  the  extreme  other  end  lay  the  kitchen  and  the 
servants'  quarters,  next  came  an  anteroom  and  hall, 
where  one  first  boarded  the  boat.  From  this,  one 
passed  to  the  spacious  dining-room,  thence  to  the 
drawing-room,  and  so  on  to  the  sleeping  saloon. 
Over  all  the  fore  part  stretched  the  upper  deck,  with 
a  smooth,  polished  floor,  where,  before  leaving  Cairo, 


[198       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

they  had  given  a  dance,  and  cool,  white  canvas  over- 
head, forming  the  roof.  Inside  the  whole  was  hung 
with  pale  mauve  satin ;  and  divans  of  wonderful  depth 
and  softness,  inviting  to  slumber  in  the  long,  hot 
afternoons,  lined  the  sides. 

Here,  in  the  still,  moonlight  evenings,  with  the 
canvas  sides  of  the  awning  rolled  up  and  their  steam 
tug  pulling  them  swiftly  upstream  against  the  ripple 
and  the  light,  floating  airs  of  the  Nile,  Everest  would 
lie,  while  she  played  to  him,  or  they  would  sit  to- 
gether, watching  the  golden  sand  —  golden  to  deep 
orange,  even  in  the  moonlight  —  of  the  banks  speed 
past  them.  It  had  been  so  far  a  dream  of  enchant- 
ment, their  life  on  board  that  boat.  Day  by  day, 
and  night  by  night,  this  floating  up  and  up  the  mag- 
ical, golden  river,  between  ever-changing  vistas  of 
loveliness,  of  palm  grove  and  date  plantations,  of  rose 
and  azure-tinted  hills,  of  deep  green  bands  of  the 
cultivated  fields,  of  burnished  stretches  of  glittering 
desert,  brought  to  the  girl's  mind  sometimes  a  sense 
of  unreality. 

"  One  never  is  so  perfectly  happy  in  one's  life,  for 
long,"  she  often  thought.  "  The  gods  must  begin  to 
envy  me  soon,  as  the  Greeks  would  say,  and  strike  me 
down."  And  she  clung  to  every  jewelled  hour,  as 
sometimes  in  those  rare  dreams  of  perfect  happiness 
that  visit  the  human  brain  the  dreamer  clings  to  his 
sleep,  and  fears  the  moment  of  his  awakening,  which 
he  is  dimly  conscious  is  approaching. 

But,  so  far,  no  blow  had  fallen  on  the  girl,  each 
day  came  to  her  like  a  messenger  loaded  with  new 
gifts.  Time  was  her  ally,  and  every  morning  the 


WITH  THE  GREAT  RIVER  199 

huge  mirror,  between  its  velvet  hangings,  showed  her 
a  face  that  grew  more  lovely,  a  form  that  grew  more 
perfect,  as  it  developed,  flower-like,  in  this  atmosphere, 
mental  and  physical,  of  warmth  and  light;  and 
though,  in  reality,  Everest's  feet  were  already  on 
that  cold  bridge  that  leads  from  youth  to  age,  no 
trace  yet  of  that  awful,  slow  destruction  of  the  human 
frame  could  be  detected  in  the  lithe,  active  body,  nor 
in  the  clear-skinned,  handsome  face.  The  tremen- 
dous energy  that  filled  them  both  prevented  any  day 
seeming  one  moment  too  long  for  them:  its  twenty- 
four  hours  barely  sufficed  them  for  what  they  wanted 
to  do  in  it. 

Everest  knew  Egypt  well,  as  he  did  Nubia,  the 
Soudan,  Abyssinia  and  much  of  the  heart  of  Africa, 
but  he  took  an  immense  interest  in  Regina's  initiation 
and  education.  She  was  so  well  worth  teaching! 
She  loved  learning  so  much,  and  learnt  so  easily  and 
rapidly !  A  good  part  of  their  mornings  were  given 
up  to  the  study  of  Arabic,  which  Everest  spoke  per- 
fectly himself.  One  of  the  girl's  great  joys  was  to 
hear  him  talk  when  the  Aral)  sheiks  or  other  native 
visitors  came  to  see  them  on  their*  boat,  and  she 
longed  eagerly  for  the  time  when  she  would  converse 
easily  with  them,  as  he  did.  Then  she  must  learn 
to  ride  perfectly  and  easily  anything  that  might  be 
necessary  at  any  moment,  camel,  horse  or  donkey, 
and  the  dahabeeyah  was  stopped  by  his  orders  for 
many  days,  at  the  most  interesting  spots,  so  that 
they  might  take  long  rides  together.  And  these  camel 
races  over  limitless  tracts  of  desert  sand!  what  a 
source  of  wildest  joy  and  elation  they  were  to  her. 


200       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

Everest  would  have  the  boat  pulled  up  by  some 
large  native  village  or  settlement,  and  send  his  serv- 
ants on  shore  to  scour  it  for  camels. 

When  some  good-looking  beast  had  been  found,  and 
sent  up,  he  would  go  himself,  and  personally  examine 
it.  Every  cloth  and  covering  would  be  stripped 
from  the  camel  by  his  orders,  and  then  its  condition 
and  skin  carefully  examined.  The  least  sore  or  any 
pain- giving  defect  caused  rejection.  He  would  only 
hire  for  his  amusement  animals  that  could  give  it  to 
him  without  distress.  Finally,  when  two  camels  were 
eventually  selected,  they  were  given  food  and  water 
under  his  personal  supervision,  and  then  left  to  rest 
in  sheltered  repose  till  the  next  day.  Under  these 
circumstances,  the  camels  on  the  following  morning 
were  ready  and  fit  and  willing  to  go  any  distance,  and 
those  long  flying,  swinging  rides  that  she  and  Everest 
took  together  were  a  source  of  great  delight  to 
Regina,  delight  greatly  heightened  by  Everest's  care 
of  the  beasts  themselves. 

"  I  hate  to  hear  a  camel  cry,"  he  replied  once  to 
her  eager  praise.  "  I  know  them  so  well  —  they  are 
so  good  and  gentle  and  patient  and  when  they  scream 
as  they  do  it  means  they  are  in  terrible  suffering." 

And  all  his  camels  ever  did  was  to  gurgle  with 
pleasure,  whenever  he  approached  them.  He  seemed 
to  possess  a  magnetic  power  over  animals,  to  speak 
to  them  in  their  own  language.  They  never  resisted 
him,  nor  resented  anything  he  did.  They  seemed  to 
have  an  instinctive  belief  in  his  knowledge  of  their 
troubles  and  requirements.  And  no  trait  in  a  man 
could  have  bound  Regina  so  closely  to  him  as  this 
did ;  no  cuiality  evoked  a  greater  admiration. 


WITH  THE  GREAT  RIVER  201 

In  their  journey  up  the  Nile,  in  their  excursions 
into  the  desert,  they  were  often  brought  face  to  face 
with  animal  distress,  caused  by  the  wanton  cruelty 
or  carelessness  of  the  Arabs,  or  the  still  more  shame- 
less callousness  of  the  British  tourist. 

One  morning  they  had  been  roused  at  daybreak  by 
a  piercing  scream  from  a  camel  on  the  bank,  and 
both  had  hurried  ashore,  to  find  a  group  of  Arabs  and 
one  irate  Englishman  standing  round  a  camel,  that 
was  kneeling  on  the  ground  and  resisted  all  persua- 
sions of  the  camel-driver's  goad  and  the  Britisher's 
boot  to  get  up.  It  was  screaming,  crying  and  groan- 
ing by  turns,  appealing  in  every  way  it  could  to  the 
pitiless  crowd  for  help  and  mercy,  Regina  was  white 
and  trembling  with  sympathy,  Everest  unmoved  out- 
wardly, and  determined,  when  they  broke  into  the 
circle. 

"  Here,  this  tiresome  beast  won't  get  up,"  re- 
marked the  tourist.  "  At  this  rate  I  sha'n't  get  out 
and  back  before  noon." 

"  It  has  a  wound  or  a  sore  probably  under  the 
girth,  which  hurts  when  it  rises,"  suggested  Everest. 

"  I  don't  care  what  the  devil's  the  matter  with  it," 
returned  the  other  savagely,  "  as  long  as  it'll  get  up 
and  let  me  get  on  to  it." 

"  Then  you  ought  to  care,"  replied  Everest  sternly ; 
"  it's  people  like  you  who  encourage  the  camel-drivers 
to  be  cruel."  And  he  added  in  Arabic :  "  Stand 
back,  all  of  you !  " 

The  crowd,  impressed  by  the  commanding  figure 
and  the  set  gravity  of  the  face,  all  fell  back,  except 
the  driver,  who  edged  up  behind  him,  and  pulled  at 
his  sleeve. 


"  Don't  you  go  near  that  camel,  mister ;  he  very 
dangerous  beast,  very  savage;  bad  camel  that,  he 
bite." 

Everest  turned  upon  him,  and  said,  as  before,  in 
Arabic : 

"  Stand  back.     Keep  away  from  the  camel." 

The  man  fell  back,  and  Everest  went  forward  quite 
alone  to  the  complaining  beast,  who  on  seeing  him 
approach,  and  fearing  some  new  form  of  torture  from 
a  fresh  enemy,  burst  into  a  fresh  series  of  its  an- 
guished cries.  When  he  was  a  little  distance  from  it, 
Everest  stopped  and  began  to  talk  to  it  in  Arabic, 
in  low  caressing  tones,  and  all  the  crowd  stood  silent, 
wide-eyed  and  staring,  and  Regina  watched  him,  her 
heart  beating  and  swelling  with  love  and  delight  in 
him.  After  a  few  moments  the  camel's  shrieks  fell  to 
moans  and  groans,  and  finally  to  silence.  It  turned 
its  intelligent  head  this  way  and  that,  listening  in- 
tently to  the  soft  Arabic  words  of  encouragement  and 
sympathy.  When  it  was  quite  silent,  Everest  drew 
near  to  it,  and  knelt  down,  putting  his  hand  gently  on 
the  saddle  girth,  when  the  creature  winced  and 
moaned.  It  swung  its  head  round  towards  him,  but 
did  not  offer  to  bite,  and  Everest  talked  to  it  again, 
while  his  strong,  supple  fingers  worked  at  the  unfas- 
tening of  the  girth.  It  was  difficult  to  get  at,  owing 
to  the  animal's  position,  but  with  infinite  patience  and 
calm  he  accomplished  it,  the  camel  watching  him 
and  listening  to  his  voice  all  the  time.  As  the  girth 
was  loosened,  some  blood  splashed  out  on  his  hand 
and  cuff,  and  as  he  drew  the  band  aside  a  wound,  in 
which  a  man  might  lay  his  closed  fist,  was  revealed. 


WITH  THE  GREAT  RIVER  203 

The  camel  winced  and  moaned  a  little,  but  seemingly 
breathed  more  easily  when  the  tight  band  was  loos- 
ened. 

"  Now  you  can  get  up,"  Everest  said,  exactly  as 
he  would  have  done  to  a  human  being,  and  the  camel, 
groaning  slightly,  but  otherwise  not  protesting,  rose 
to  its  feet,  while  the  blood  trickled  slowly  down  its 
foreleg  from  the  wound.  Everest  stroked  and  ca- 
ressed its  neck  as  it  stood  beside  him,  and  then  turned 
upon  the  driver. 

Regina  heard  him,  in  an  unbroken  flow  of  Arabic, 
which  she  could  only  partially  follow,  abuse  the  man 
for  using  an  animal  in  that  state,  and  threaten  him 
with  every  kind  of  punishment  if  he  persisted  in  hir- 
ing out  that  or  any  other  camel  in  a  similar  condi- 
tion. 

The  man,  not  knowing  in  the  least  who  this  mag- 
nificent and  authoritative  person  might  be,  turned  all 
colours,  and  vowed  and  protested  complete  and  abso- 
lute submission,  and  said  he  had  another  camel,  only 
it  was  worth  eight  shillings  a  day,  and  the  English 
mister  had  said  he  couldn't  give  more  than  six,  so  he 
wouldn't  give  him  his  best  camel,  but  now  indeed  he 
would,  if  this  great  lord  would  spare  his  life  and 
possessions.  The  scene  ended  by  Everest  taking  the 
man's  name  and  address  down  in  his  note-book,  and 
ordering  the  camel  to  be  led  off  by  his  own  servants 
to  have  its  wound  dressed. 

When  he  looked  round  for  the  British  tourist  he 
had  vanished,  and  some  hours  late  Everest  and 
Regina  returned  to  their  boat  for  breakfast.  Such 
and  similar  incidents  were  not  uncommon,  and  each 


204.       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

of  them  seemed  to  send  a  gold  barb  down  deep  into 
her  heart,  pinning  fast  into  her  consciousness  a  mem- 
ory that  could  never  be  torn  out. 

And  gradually,  though  she  had  never  thought  of 
or  wished  for  children,  she  delighted  in  the  idea 
now  of  bearing  them  to  this  man.  If  she  could  pro- 
duce beings  with  his  beauty,  grace,  strength  and  in- 
tellect, and  that  dear  character  of  his,  and  give  them 
to  the  world,  that  was  a  work,  after  all,  worth  doing ; 
and  hopes,  like  fairies,  came  to  her  now,  from  day 
to  day,  and  ideas  and  thoughts  that  became  almost 
a  conviction,  but  she  said  nothing  of  it.  She  would 
wait  till  she  was  quite  sure.  There  was  plenty  of 
time. 

And  besides  the  riding  of  every  kind  in  the  desert, 
there  was  the  shooting.  Everest  was  so  anxious  she 
should  shoot  well  and  easily,  and  two  or  three  times 
in  the  week  they  would  go  out  to  distant  sandbanks  or 
hill  ridges,  where  they  could  practise  in  safety.  All 
kinds  of  marks  and  distances  were  arranged  for  her: 
moving  objects  running  on  a  string,  held  by  servants, 
and  balls  thrown  into  the  air  gave  her  quickness 
and  dexterity,  with  both  rifle  and  pistol. 

The  days  when  there  was  no  shooting  practice 
there  was  the  painting,  and  they  sat  side  by  side  on 
the  cool  upper  deck,  with  the  curtains  rolled  up  on 
some  enchanting  prospect,  each  absorbed  in  giving 
it  duplicate  life  upon  the  canvas. 

And  when  the  painting  tired  there  was  the  play- 
ing, that  they  both  loved,  and  so  the  happy,  busy 
days  flew  by,  each  filled  to  the  brim  and  overflowing 
with  work  and  exercise,  artistic  creation  and  love. 
Deliciously  tired  with  accomplishment,  they  fell  into 


WITH  THE  GREAT  RIVER  205 

each  other's  arms  at  night,  while  the  boat  glided  on 
by  moonlight,  to  fresh  scenes,  where  the  dawn  would 
break. 

Now,  as  they  sat  in  the  sunset  hour,  watching  the 
light  fall  over  the  desert,  Regina's  thoughts  swept 
back  over  all  the  days  and  nights  of  that  glorious, 
golden  month,  and  she  felt  almost  afraid  of  the  per- 
fection of  her  happiness. 

"  That  man  is  late  with  the  post,"  remarked  Ever- 
est, looking  at  his  watch.  "  Didn't  we  send  him 
ashore  at  six?  " 

"  I'm  not  in  a  hurry  for  letters,"  answered  Regina. 
"  Nothing  could  make  me  more  happy  than  I  am, 
anything  might  make  me  less ! " 

Everest  laughed,  and  continued  a  little  sketch  of  a 
lonely  palm  he  was  making  in  his  note-book,  and  just 
then  the  Arab  messenger,  with  the  mail  bag,  came 
on  to  the  verandah  and  saluted  them. 

There  was  an  immense  number  of  letters  as  usual 
for  Everest.  He  opened  most  of  them  with  indif- 
ference, read  and  laid  them  down,  without  comment. 

There  were  a  few  for  Regina,  which  she  left  on  the 
table,  unopened.  She  did  not  wish  to  miss  the  tran- 
sient glory  of  the  sunset.  And,  as  she  said,  there 
was  nothing,  nothing,  nothing,  that  she  wanted  in 
this  world. 

"  What  a  confounded  bore ! "  exclaimed  Everest 
suddenly  over  a  letter.  "  Sybil  and  her  brother  are 
coming  out,  and  want  to  join  our  camp.  .  .  .  Isn't 
that  tiresome?  " 

Regina  went  suddenly  cold  in  the  warm  and  roseate 
air. 

"  Oh,  Everest,  I  am  sorry !  " 


206       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

"  A  girl  like  that !  So  utterly  unfit  for  camp 
life !  "  he  went  on.  "  It's  such  a  responsibility,  and 
that  ass  of  a  brother  of  hers  is  such  a  bore  too." 

"  Can't  you  wire  to  them  that  you  don't  want 
them?  " 

Everest  laughed  his  amused,  easy  laugh. 

"  Well,  it's  a  little  awkward !  Besides,  it  won't 
make  much  difference  to  Miss  Sybil  if  she  intends  to 
come." 

Regina  rose  with  a  swift,  sudden  movement  from 
her  chair,  and  came  over  to  his.  Her  face  looked 
white  in  the  warm  light,  her  mouth  had  a  resolution 
in  its  lines  that  Everest  had  never  seen  before. 

"  You  have  been  perfectly  content  and  happy  all 
this  time,  haven't  you  ?  "  she  asked.  "  You  don't 
want  or  need  anybody  else?  You  have  no  personal 
wish  that  these  people  should  come?  " 

"  Not  a  bit,"  he  answered,  looking  up  at  her  with 
a  smile.  "  I  think  they  would  be  a  great  bore.  We 
are  absolutely  happy  alone,  and  so  we  shall  be  in 
camp.  We  don't  want  anybody." 

"  Then  wire  you  won't  have  them :  that  they  can't 
come."  She  spoke  with  unusual  decision  for  her,  in 
talking  with  him.  Generally  it  was  her  pleasure  to 
give  way  to  him  in  everything.  In  fact  she  cared 
about  nothing  so  long  as  he  was  pleased.  But  now, 
this  was  important:  there  was  danger  ahead  to  her 
happiness,  and  she  rose  to  defend  it,  as  a  lioness  to 
defend  her  cub. 

"  I  think  this  is  the  first  thing  I  have  asked  of 
you,"  she  added,  as  he  hesitated :  "  to  send  this  wire." 

Everest  clasped  both  his  arms  round  the  slim,  sup- 
ple waist,  as  she  stood  by  him. 


WITH  THE  GREAT  RIVER  207 

"  My  sweet,  of  course  I  will  send  one  if  you  wish. 
You  write  out  just  what  you  would  suggest,  and  I'll 
give  it  to  Salah  to  take  now." 

Regina  bent  down  and  kissed  him  on  the  thick 
waves  of  his  black  hair,  with  a  swift,  passionate  en- 
thusiasm. 

"  Thank  you  so  much,"  she  murmured.  Then  she 
went  into  the  body  of  the  boat,  behind  them,  and 
wrote  out  the  wire: 

"  Regret  your  suggestion  to  join  our  camp  quite 
impossible.  Many  reasons. —  EVEREST." 

"  Will  that  do  ?  "  she  asked,  bringing  it  back,  and 
showing  it  to  him. 

"  First  rate,"  he  answered,  and  the  telegram  was 
sent. 

No  response  of  any  kind  came  to  the  wire,  either 
by  letter  or  telegram,  and  the  Lanarks  continued 
their  dreaming,  lingering  journey  up  to  Wady  Haifa 
by  boat,  undisturbed,  and  thence  by  train  across  the 
desert  to  Khartoum. 

They  arrived  there  one  burning  midday,  when  the 
sun  seemed  a  blazing  disk  of  fire  against  a  burnished 
copper  sky,  and  went  to  the  hotel  to  rest.  All  their 
staff  of  servants  and  camp  equipment  had  already 
arrived  and  were  awaiting  them.  They  had  a  large, 
cool-looking  room  assigned  tp  them  on  the  ground 
floor.  Its  three  lofty  windows  were  tightly  closed 
by  green,  wooden  shutters,  made  like  a  rigid  Venetian 
blind,  and  nothing  of  the  heat  and  glare  of  the  out- 
side was  visible,  except  the  blinding  bars  of  light 
between  the  slats.  The  room  was  full  of  green  light, 
and  a  matting  crackled  under  their  feet  on  the  floor. 


208       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

A  large  white  mosquito  net  hung  round  the  bed. 
Above  it,  in  a  corner  of  the  rafters  that  supported 
the  ceiling,  a  sparrow  had  built  its  nest,  and  long 
trails  of  grass  and  straw  hung  down  the  wall. 

Outside  one  heard  the  peculiar  cry  of  the  wood,  as 
an  Egyptian  water-wheel  was  slowly  revolved  in  the 
garden. 

Regina  looked  round  with  delight,  as  she  and 
Everest  entered  together  and  closed  the  door. 
Somehow  the  spirit  of  the  East  was  in  the  room,  and 
it  took  her  to  itself  and  enfolded  her,  and  she  knew 
for  the  first  time  that  peculiar  joy  and  elation  that 
the  East  can  give  to  those  who  are  sensitive  to  its 
magic  breath. 

They  were  tired  after  the  three  and  a  half  days' 
journey  in  the  vibrating  train,  and  lay  down  under 
the  mosquito  net,  and  slept  peacefully  away  the  hot, 
sun-scorched  afternoon. 

It  was  time  to  dress  for  dinner  when  they  awoke, 
and  the  cool  sunset  air  was  filling  the  room. 

Regina  opened  the  long  green  shutters  of  one  win- 
dow, and  gave  an  exclamation  of  delight  as  she  looked 
out  into  the  paradise  of  palms  beyond.  How  cool, 
how  deliciously  green  it  was,  and  how  delicately  each 
branch  of  the  palm-trees  outlined  itself  in  gold 
against  the  brilliant,  gleaming  sky!  A  hedge,  a 
beautiful  wall  of  pomegranate,  was  just  below  the 
window  ledge.  She  could  put  her  hands  down 
amongst  its  glowing,  vivid,  scarlet  flowers,  and,  be- 
yond, the  whole  garden  was  a  mass  of  white  roses, 
threaded  everywhere  by  little  sandy  paths,  beneath 
the  palms.  She  turned  from  the  window  at  last, 


WITH  THE  GREAT  RIVER          209 

with  regret,  and  began  to  dress.  They  were  both 
nearly  ready  when  someone  knocked  at  the  door,  and 
as  Everest  opened  it  one  of  the  hotel  servants  handed 
him  a  card. 

He  took  it  back  into  the  room  and  read  it: 

"  Damn !  "  was  all  he  said,  as  he  laid  it  down. 

Regina  looked  at  him,  her  heart  beating.  He  dis- 
missed the  servant  and  closed  the  door.  Then  he 
came  over  to  the  girl,  who  was  fastening  her  pearls 
round  her  neck,  before  the  mirror.  She  turned  to 
face  him.  She  saw  he  was  very  much  annoyed. 

"  This  is  Merton's  card,"  he  said ;  "  he  is  here  in 
the  hotel,  and  his  sister  too.  Now,"  he  added,  as 
Regina  sank  down  on  a  chair  by  her,  with  an  ex- 
pression of  distress  on  her  face,  "  you  sent  the  tele- 
gram, as  you  wished,  from  Assuan,  and,  as  I  told  you, 
it  has  made  no  difference.  These  people  are  here, 
and  doubtless  want  to  join  us.  I  must  ask  you  not  to 
press  me  to  be  discourteous  to  them  in  any  way." 

Regina  looked  up  at  him,  as  he  stood  before  her, 
the  card  in  his  hand,  and  her  eyes  swam  suddenly 
with  tears.  She  always  admired  him,  particularly 
in  his  evening  dress,  and  at  this  moment,  pale  from 
the  heat,  fresh  and  calm  after  his  long  sleep,  his  face 
looked  extremely  handsome.  But  it  seemed  to  her 
that  never  before  had  he  spoken  so  coldly  to  her,  so 
sternly,  as  if  she  had  already  been  guilty  of  some 
act  he  disapproved.  Lost  in  that  great  tide  of  love 
she  had  for  him,  utterly  helpless  to  oppose  him  in 
any  way,  as  any  human  being  becomes  once  the  chains 
of  passion  are  bound  round  him,  the  girl  clasped  her 
hands  together  on  her  breast,  and  merely  faltered, 


210       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

while  the  tears  she  could  not  hold  back,  slipped  down 
her  cheeks: 

"  Certainly.  ...  Of  course  you  must  do  just  as 
you  wish  about  them." 

Everest  stooped  down  and  kissed  her. 

"  My  darling,  there  is  no  need  to  cry  about  it. 
They  can't  do  us  any  harm.  If  they  j  oin  camp  with 
us  for  a  time,  we  can  go  on  alone  afterwards.  I 
don't  think  it's  wise  or  right  to  quarrel  with  them 
and  make  enemies  of  them." 

After  what  he  had  said,  and  the  tone  and  manner 
in  which  he  had  spoken,  the  girl  felt  it  would  be  un- 
wise to  urge  anything  in  dissent  or  opposition.  She 
bent  her  head  over  his  hands,  and  kissed  them  in 
silence,  and  Everest  took  Merton's  card  and  tore, 
it  into  shreds,  as  if  he  felt  he  would  like  to  wring 
the  owner's  neck,  and  threw  them  into  the  grate. 

Meanwhile,  in  two  other  rooms,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  hotel,  Sybil  and  her  brother  were  also 
dressing  for  dinner.  She  was  in  her  room,  and 
through  the  open  communicating  door  she  heard  her 
brother  ask  the  servant,  when  he  returned  from  the 
Lanarks'  room,  what  the  recipient  had  said  on  getting 
his  card. 

"  The  gentleman  only  said  *  Damn '  sir,"  returned 
the  man  impassively. 

Sybil  heard  this  answer  in  her  room,  and  she 
looked  into  the  mirror  opposite  her  and  laughed. 

When  the  Lanarks  came  down  from  their  room 
the  head  waiter  met  them  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs. 

"  Mr.  Graham  said,  sir,  he  was  sure  you'd  like  to 
dine  with  his  party,  so  I  reserved  a  table  for  six,  in 
the  window,  for  you  all  together." 


WITH  THE  GREAT  RIVER  211 

Regina  saw  Everest  knit  his  brows,  but  he  only 
nodded  and  said: 

"  Where  are  the  Grahams  now  ?  "  And,  on  being 
told  they  were  in  the  little  saloon,  moved  in  that 
direction. 

"  We  had  better  go  there  and  get  the  introduc- 
tions over,"  he  said  to  her,  and  she  assented. 

The  saloon  was  fairly  full  of  guests  when  they 
entered,  but  Regina's  eyes  found  at  once  the  tiny 
and  beautiful  figure  of  the  girl  who  had  called  at  her 
flat.  She  was  exquisitely  dressed  now  in  white  satin, 
covered  with  lace,  and  embroidered  all  over  with 
pearls.  Her  ivory  arms  and  shoulders  were  bare, 
her  golden  head  bound  round  with  pearls.  She  came 
forward  at  once,  with  her  hand  outstretched,  when 
she  caught  sight  of  Everest,  and  Regina  thought 
what  a  delicate,  fairy-like  vision  of  beauty  she 
looked. 

"  Oh,  Everest,  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you !  And 
now  you'll  introduce  me  to  your  wife,  won't  you? 
It  was  so  horrid  of  you  to  carry  her  off  up  the  Nile, 
j  ust  like  a  brigand  with  his  captive !  " 

She  spoke  charmingly,  and  smiled  at  Regina,  who 
saw  instantly  the  line  she  was  going  to  take.  She 
was  going  to  assume  that  Regina  was  Everest's  wife, 
for  her  own  purposes,  because,  otherwise,  she  could 
hardly  have  associated  with  her ;  but  Regina  guessed 
that  she  was  convinced  they  were  not  married,  and 
that  Everest  was  still  obtainable  for  herself.  She 
saw,  too,  the  girl  did  not  mean  to  allude  to  the  visit 
to  the  flat.  Regina  did  not  feel  sure  whether  she 
really  recognised  her  or  not.  At  any  rate  it  was 
evidently  her  cue  to  meet  her  as  a  stranger. 


Everest  presented  Regina  to  both  his  cousins,  and 
Regina  bowed  in  silence. 

The  Honourable  Merton  Graham  was  tall  and  thin 
and  fair,  like  his  sister,  without  possessing  her 
beauty.  He  looked  hard  at  Regina,  as  he  was  intro- 
duced, and  said  he  was  so  glad  to  meet  her ;  to  which 
she  responded  only  with  a  smile.  There  were  two 
other  men  with  the  Grahams,  and  they  were  in  turn 
presented.  One,  a  middle-aged  man,  with  rather  a 
pleasant  face,  was  introduced  to  her  by  Graham  as 
Surgeon-Doctor  James. 

"  Not  one  of  the  modern  school,  who  are  mad  on 
operations  and  mutilations,  and  long  to  divide  you 
into  pieces  as  soon  as  they  look  at  you,"  he  added, 
laughing,  "  but  really  quite  a  kind,  respectable  per- 
son." 

And  as  Regina  looked  at  him,  and  smiled,  she  felt 
that  he  deserved  this  description,  and  for  reasons 
of  her  own  she  was  not  wholly  displeased  that  a  doctor 
would  be  with  them  if  they  were  going  to  stay  a  long 
time  in  camp. 

The  fourth  man  of  their  party  was  presented  as 
Colonel  St  John,  who  had  a  good  record  of  big- 
game  shooting  in  India,  and  he  favoured  Regina  with 
a  long,  admiring  stare.  She  looked  very  well  this 
evening,  in  a  gown  of  palest  green  that  Everest  had 
chosen  for  and  given  her.  A  circle  of  great  pearls 
enclosed  her  throat,  and  she  had  set  two  pearl  and 
emerald  stars  in  her  soft,  shining  hair.  She  had  no 
need  to  feel  envy  of  the  new-comer,  and  did  not. 
She  only  felt  cold  dislike  and  fear. 

She  saw  that  the  girl  had  come  out,  as  it  were, 
armed  to  the  teeth,  and  in  face  of  all  obstacles,  to 


WITH  THE  GREAT  RIVER 

fight  with  her  for  the  possession  of  Everest,  and  that 
the  desire  for  the  man  was  intense  enough  to  make 
her  risk  all  dangers,  and  accept  a  life  for  which  she 
was  totally  unfitted,  and  which  she  must  hate.  To 
gain  her  end  she  was  willing  to  risk  spoiling  her 
beauty,  injuring  her  health,  possibly  even  giving 
up  her  life.  Not  an  adversary  to  be  considered 
lightly. 

As  soon  as  the  introductions  were  over  they  went 
in  to  dinner.  Everest  took  his  cousin  in  first,  then 
Graham  and  Regina  followed,  and  the  doctor  with 
Colonel  St  John  came  in  last.  Regina  watched 
Everest  and  the  tiny,  exquisite,  white-clothed  figure 
precede  her,  with  a  curious  feeling.  It  was  the  first 
time  she  had  seen  him  with  another  woman,  except 
her  own  sisters  at  the  Rectory,  and  she  noticed  di- 
rectly that  the  calm  of  absolute  indifference  which 
had  characterised  his  bearing  then  with  them  was 
absent  here.  He  seemed  pleased,  animated,  as  he 
bent  over  and  talked  with  her.  Regina  could  see  the 
wonderfully  exquisite  profile  of  the  girl  as  she  turned 
her  face  up  to  him,  and  could  feel  the  admiration  in 
Everest's  gaze  as  he  looked  down  upon  her.  He  did 
evidently  admire  her,  and,  in  fact,  it  would  be  hard 
for  anyone  to  do  anything  else.  Regina  divined 
what  was  the  actual  fact,  that  his  cousin  did  possess 
for  Everest  a  charm  and  fascination  nearly  irre- 
sistible when  she  was  with  him,  and  not  wishing  to 
be  conquered  by  it  he  had  kept  away  from  her. 

What  would  be  the  result  now  of  this  continual 
contact  that  the  girl  had  chosen  —  wisely  enough 
if  she  wanted  him  —  to  force  upon  him?  Regina's 
ears  seemed  ringing  with  this  question  as  she  took 


%14.       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

her  place  at  the  table  opposite  the  two ;  the  dazzling 
beauty  of  all  the  delicate  ivory  carving,  which  yet 
wa,s  not  ivory  but  white,  pale-tinted  flesh,  seemed 
for  a  moment  to  swim  before  her  eyes.  Her  heart 
seemed  to  contract  and  grow  cold  as  her  brain  formed 
the  pitiless  answer  —  victory  for  the  woman.  With 
her  learning,  her  knowledge  and  her  intuition  it  was 
impossible  for  her  to  believe  that  a  man  already  at- 
tracted towards  it  could  withstand  the  siege  of  beauty 
like  this  daily,  hourly,  beside  him,  asking  only  to  be 
taken,  conquered  and  enjoyed. 

A  calmness,  like  the  calmness  in  the  face  of  death, 
came  over  her,  and  it  showed  how  true  to  herself  and 
her  own  nature  she  was  that  the  first  thought  which 
came  to  her  in  that  calm  was  not  "  What  a  pity  I 
did  not  marry  him  before,"  as  ten  thousand  other 
women  would  have  said  in  such  a  moment,  but  "  How 
fortunate  that  we  are  not  married,  that  he  is  free, 
quite  free,  to  do  just  as  he  wishes." 

And  she  gazed  at  Everest's  dark,  brilliant  face,  all 
light  and  smiles,  across  the  glass  and  flowers,  and 
heard  his  talk  and  laughter  as  a  man  on  trial  for  his 
life  may  gaze  at  the  judge  opposite  him  who  holds 
the  balance  of  his  existence  in  his  hands. 

All  this  time  Graham  and  St  John  were  talking  to 
her  and  courses  being  set  before  her.  It  seemed  a 
very  long  dinner,  but  at  last  the  dessert  was  brought, 
which  she  refused,  and  sat  idly  with  her  hands  in  her 
lap,  listening  to  the  discussions  of  the  future  camp 
which  now  circulated  round  her,  and  in  which  both 
Graham  and  St  John  took  an  active  part,  thus  leav- 
ing her  in  peace. 

The  incoming  party  of  four  wished  the  camp  to 


WITH  THE  GREAT  RIVER  215 

be  in  common,  and  all  expenses  shared  equally  be- 
tween them  all,  but  Everest  was  quite  firm  and  de- 
termined on  the  point  that  they  should  come  as  his 
guests,  and  on  no  other  footing,  if  they  joined  camp 
with  him  at  all. 

"  I  am  much  too  selfish,"  he  declared,  with  his 
easy  laugh,  "  to  be  in  a  camp  where  there  are  four 
masters,  to  say  nothing  of  two  queens.  If  I  am  host 
I  get  things  my  own  way,  and  make  all  the  arrange- 
ments, and  give  all  the  orders  that  suit  me.  I  shall 
be  delighted  if  you  like  to  join  my  camp  as  guests, 
but  it  would  be  quite  impossible  for  me  to  camp  under 
any  other  conditions." 

A  silence  fell  on  the  table,  and  to  Regina  her  heart 
seemed  to  cease  beating  while  she  waited  for  it  to  be 
decided.  Oh,  how  she  hoped  they  would  refuse.  The 
men  would  have  done  so,  she  was  sure,  but  Sybil 
threw  a  decided  glance  across  to  Merton  and  said 
simply : 

"  Thank  you,  Everest,  so  much.  Of  course  we 
will  come.  You  are  always  a  delightful  host." 

Graham  said  nothing,  but  looked  at  his  plate. 
The  other  men  being  merely  guests  of  the  Grahams 
could  say  nothing. 

Regina's  face  was  pale  and  Everest's  clouded 
when  they  all  rose  from  the  table. 

"  We  have  a  splendid  outfit  for  ourselves,"  Sybil 
continued,  as  they  moved  together  to  the  door. 
"  We  sha'n't  poach  on  any  of  your  preserves.  We 
have  tents,  servants,  furniture,  everything.  They 
are  all  out  at  the  oasis.  I  found  out  where  you'd 
sent  yours,  and,  as  I  knew  you'd  like  us  to  join  you, 
I  had  all  ours  sent  there  too." 


216       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

Everest's  face  did  not  grow  any  more  pleased  look- 
ing at  this  statement. 

"  You  did  not  have  my  wire,  I  suppose  ?  "  he 
asked,  as  they  passed  into  the  hall. 

"  What  wire  ?  "  inquired  Sybil,  with  an  innocent 
expression. 

"  I  don't  know  that  it  matters  if  you  didn't  get 
it,"  he  answered.  "  You  had  none  at  all  from  me  ?  " 
His  eyes  were  on  her  face  and  she  coloured  slightly 
as  she  shook  her  head. 

"  No,  Everest ;  I  have  not  heard  from  you  since 
you  left  England." 

Everest  made  no  further  remark  and  they  joined 
the  others  on  the  terrace  outside  for  coffee. 

Regina  stepped  out  into  the  hot,  lustrous  night 
with  a  feeling  of  joy.  Khartoum  was  beautiful,  she 
thought,  with  its  waving  palms  lifting  their  feathery 
tops  towards  the  purple  sky,  which  seemed  to  beat 
and  pulsate,  so  thickly  studded  over  it  were  the  pal- 
pitating stars,  and  down  there  just  at  the  end  of  the 
garden  were  the  dark  waters  of  the  Nile. 

She  wished  so  much  she  could  have  remained  with 
Everest  alone;  how  they  would  have  sat  here  to- 
gether, drinking  in  the  warm  bauble-scented  air, 
listening  to  the  curious  cry  of  the  water-wheel,  watch- 
ing the  stars  flash  and  wheel  suddenly  in  a  great  arc 
of  light  across  the  purple  sky. 

She  sat  silent,  looking  away  from  all  the  others 
into  the  mystery  of  the  tropic  night.  The  men  were 
talking  together. 

Sybil  leant  back  in  her  chair ;  where  a  ray  of  light 
from  the  saloon  window  struck  on  her  golden  head 
and  gleamed  on  her  satin  and  pearls. 


WITH  THE  GREAT  RIVER          217 

Regina  heard  it  being  arranged  that  they  were  all 
to  go  over  early  next  morning  to  the  camp  on  a  pre- 
liminary visit  to  see  if  all  were  ready  and  in  order, 
the  real  start  up  the  White  Nile  to  be  made  on  the 
following  day. 

"  We  had  better  go  to  bed  now,"  Everest  said, 
rising.  "  We  must  start  as  soon  as  it's  light :  it's 
so  painfully  hot  and  burning  here  after  ten." 

They  all  rose,  and  St  John  and  the  doctor  went 
into  the  bar  to  get  just  one  more  liqueur  before 
turning  in.  The  Grahams  paused,  saying  good- 
night and  Merton  added  to  Everest: 

"  I  was  sorry  not  to  send  you  a  reply  to  your  wire, 
but  Sybil  didn't  want  to;  she  said  it  would  be  all 
right  when  we  got  here." 

Everest  made  no  answer  whatever.  A  silence  that 
seemed  thick  in  its  intensity  followed,  and  then  Sybil 
broke  into  a  laugh.  She  knew  already  that  Everest 
had  no  admiration  for  her  character,  no  confidence  in 
her  word.  She  was  not  relying  on  those  things,  or 
this  speech  of  her  brother's  would  have  been  a  seri- 
ous matter.  She  relied  solely  on  the  perfect  lines 
of  her  face,  and  these  were  the  same  whether  she  lied 
or  otherwise. 

"  I  am  sorry  Merton  has  been  so  injudicious  as  to 
tell  you  the  truth,"  she  said  lightly.  *'  It's  such  a 
stupid  habit  of  his.  I  am  always  trying  to  correct 
him.  We  got  your  wire,  of  course,  but  I  knew  you 
wouldn't  mind  when  we  were  really  here." 

Everest  looked  down  upon  her  in  the  ray  of  gold 
light. 

"  Brothers  and  sisters  should  agree,  especially 
about  the  lies  they  are  going  to  tell,"  he  answered, 


218       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

laughing  too.  "  Good-night,"  and  he  stepped  into 
the  saloon,  holding  wide  the  door  for  Regina,  and 
they  both  went  up  to  their  room. 

As  soon  as  they  were  inside,  and  the  door  locked, 
he  came  up  to  her  and  drew  her  into  his  arms.  She 
was  a  beautiful  vision  in  her  pale  silk,  with  her  soft 
waving  hair  and  the  pearls  gleaming  on  her  firm 
stainless  breast. 

"  I  can't  tell  you  how  sorry  I  am  about  all  this, 
because  it  delays  our  marriage,"  he  said,  in  a  low 
tone  of  passionate  annoyance ;  "  we  can't  simply  do 
anything  now  about  it,  can  we?  " 

"  Oh  no ;  certainly  not,"  she  replied  impulsively, 
"and  —  and  I  could  not  marry  you  now  —  just 
yet  —  before "  She  could  not  finish  her  sen- 
tence. She  burst  into  tears,  the  advent  of  these 
others  was  so  hateful  to  her,  she  was  so  disappointed 
and  excited  and  strained,  she  lost  control  of  herself 
for  the  moment  and  bent  her  face  down  sobbing  on 
his  arm.  He  stroked  all  the  rich,  lustrous  hair 
gently. 

"  Sweetest,  nothing  matters ;  I  don't  care  about 
anything  except  for  the  pleasure  of  knowing  you  be- 
long to  me  and  of  giving  you  any  advantage  that 
there  is  in  marriage.  But  now  you  see  we  can't  call 
these  people  to  witness  that  we've  been  together  all 
this  time  without  it.  Unconventional  as  I  am  sup- 
posed to  be,  nobody  would  stand  that,  and  it  would 
be  so  unsatisfactory  for  you  afterwards.  We  could 
not  marry  quietly  here  now  —  Sybil  would  be  sure  to 
find  out." 

Regina's  tears  had  ceased:  she  looked  up. 


WITH  THE  GREAT  RIVER  219 

"  Don't  think  of  it,"  she  said  simply.  "  For  the 
present  it  is  out  of  the  question." 

She  disengaged  herself  from  his  clasp  and  sank 
into  an  arm-chair,  her  handkerchief  pressed  to  her 
lips.  She  was  white  and  trembling,  her  limbs  hardly 
seemed  able  to  support  her. 

It  was  quite  possible  their  marriage  would  never  be 
now,  but  that  was  not  oppressing  her,  the  iron  fetters 
of  a  legal  tie  that  bound  him  unwilling,  unloving,  un- 
happy to  her,  what  would  they  be  to  her,  who  longed 
after  his  love  and  desire  and  pleasure  in  her?  If 
these  were  hers,  she  wanted  nothing  else,  if  they  were 
not  hers,  nothing  else  would  console  her. 

Everest  stood  by  the  bed,  mechanically  winding 
up  his  watch. 

"  I  know  you  are  sorry  at  their  joining  us,"  he 
said,  after  a  minute.  "  But  I  think  if  I  had  abso- 
lutely refused,  it  would  have  been  such  a  slight  to 
Sybil  she  would  never  have  forgiven  either  of  us. 
She  is  my  next  neighbour,  our  lands  touch  each 
other,  and  it  would  be  a  pity,  for  your  sake,  to  have 
her  as  an  enemy." 

"  I  am  only  afraid  at  the  end  of  our  camping  to- 
gether she  will  be  more  of  an  enemy  than  you  would 
make  her  now  by  refusing  to  take  her." 

"  Why  should  you  think  so  ?  "  he  answered,  look- 
ing over  to  her. 

Regina  was  silent.  It  did  not  seem  wise  to  tell 
him  that  Sybil  was  doing  all  merely  to  win  him  for 
herself,  and  that  nothing  short  of  that  would  con- 
tent her,  and  that  her  failure  would  inevitably  em- 
bitter her  for  life.  The  incense  to  a  man's  vanity  is 


220       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

so  often  in  itself  such  an  attraction  towards  a 
woman. 

Perhaps  the  camping  might  be  short ;  Sybil  might 
find  it  impossible  to  stand  the  rough  life;  anything 
might  occur  to  break  it  up.  It  could  do  no  good 
in  any  case  for  her  to  put  before  Everest's  eyes  in 
glowing  colour  this  girl's  passion  for  himself. 

"  It's  difficult  to  say  exactly,  but  you  know  how 
people  generally  disagree  and  all  grow  to  hate  each 
other  on  these  expeditions." 

"  Well,  we  must  try  to  be  as  amicable  as  we  can," 
returned  Everest,  smiling.  "  I  know  Regina  will  be, 
to  please  me." 

And  Regina,  looking  at  him,  knew  that  she  must 
indeed  do  as  he  wished,  that  his  will  was  absolute 
law  to  her,  by  reason  of  that  magic  power  he  had  to 
make  her  happy  or  unhappy  by  his  glance.  Man's 
prayer  throughout  the  ages  to  beauty  has  always 
been :  "  Be  what  you  will,  act  as  you  will,  only  give 
me  the  privilege  of  looking  at  and  loving  you." 

In  the  early  dawn  the  whole  party  assembled  and 
started  out  for  the  camp.  The  sky  was  still  softly 
grey,  the  air  light,  almost  cool.  The  gay,  wonder- 
ful, joyous  river  rolled  blue  and  clear  between  its 
banks  covered  by  lovely  feathered  throngs,  drinking 
and  spreading  out  their  multi-coloured  wings  to  the 
early  light.  The  palms  tossed  their  swaying  branches 
in  the  little  breeze  that  comes  before  the  sun. 

They  rode  out  on  three  camels  with  their  guides, 
and  Regina  felt  her  spirits  rise  as  the  cool  current 
of  air  off  the  river  struck  her  forehead,  lifting  the 
waving  curls  beneath  her  wide-brimmed  hat.  She 
looked  wonderfully  well  this  morning,  and  all  the  three 


WITH  THE  GREAT  RIVER 

men  looked  at  her  with  admiration  as  she  sat  behind 
Everest  on  the  saddle-cloth. 

It  was  certainly  a  very  fine  encampment  when  they 
came  up  to  it ;  they  saw  that  the  servants  had  set  up 
all  the  tents  and  got  everything  in  working  order. 
There  were  six  white  tents  in  all,  and  innumerable 
smaller  ones  for  the  kitchens  and  servants.  Ever- 
est had  arranged  a  large  wall  tent  for  their  sleeping- 
room,  and  another  square  one  for  the  dining  and  liv- 
ing room,  and  a  smaller  one  for  the  keeping  of  the 
game,  heads,  skins,  etc.  To  these  the  Grahams  had 
added  a  tent  each  for  Merton  and  his  sister,  another 
larger  one  being  shared  by  St  John  and  the  doctor. 
There  was  a  scent  of  coffee  in  the  air  as  they  ap- 
proached, and  one  of  Everest's  servants  opened  the 
dining  tent  door  with  an  air  of  unmistakable  pride 
and  confidence,  revealing  within  a  well-set  and  most 
inviting-looking  breakfast. 

They  all  trooped  in,  and  Regina  was  appointed 
to  the  head  of  the  table  and  to  pour  out  the  coffee. 
Sybil  overnight  had  had  a  long  and  earnest  talk  wfth 
young  Graham,  and  the  result  of  this  was  that  all 
present  now  accepted  and  deferred  to  Regina  and 
Everest  absolutely  as  host  and  hostess.  Sybil  knew 
her  cousin's  character  pretty  well,  and  she  saw  that 
the  one  condition  he  had  made  of  their  joining  them 
must  be  carried  out  to  the  letter.  She  would  give 
him  no  excuse  for  withdrawing  his  invitation.  Re- 
gina felt  happy  at  the  breakfast.  There  was  excite- 
ment in  going  out  into  the  savage  desert,  just  their 
own  little  party,  alone,  to  meet  lions  and  unknown 
and  mysterious  dangers.  This  was  life,  movement 
anyway,  it  was  not  the  slow  death  that  was  consum- 


THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

ing  her  sisters  at  the  English  Rectory.  There 
would  be  room  for  courage,  for  energy,  for  endur- 
ance here,  and  she  loved  action.  She  felt  like  a 
strong  young  swimmer  breasting  the  first  turbulent, 
incoming  wave  as  he  leaves  the  shore. 

Everyone  praised  the  breakfast,  and  the  cook  was 
called  in,  beaming,  to  the  tent  and  congratulated. 

Then  Everest  and  the  other  men  went  off  to  the 
gun  tent  to  look  up  maps  and  plans  and  decide  their 
route,  the  question  of  the  servants  they  should  take, 
the  pack  animals,  the  chance  of  native  villages  along 
the  Nile  where  fresh  provisions  could  be  got,  and  all 
the  hundred  other  things  appertaining  to  camp  life ; 
and  Regina,  not  caring  for  Sybil's  society  alone, 
went  over  to  the  sleeping  tent  and  walked  round  it, 
admiring  the  beautiful  camp  furniture.  Everest  had 
provided  everything  so  perfectly  folding,  collapsible 
and  adjustable.  Here  a  camp  sofa,  low  and  light 
yet  steady,  and  there  a  folding  breakfast-table  fully 
equipped  with  tiny  silvery  kettles  and  cups  and  every- 
thing necessary  for  their  early  tea  or  coffee,  that 
they  would  have  here  alone.  And  he  had  been  so 
thoughtful  for  her  too.  There  were  a  couple  of  new 
dust-proof  trunks  with  perfect  lids  and  locks  that 
she  might  pack  all  her  personal  things  in  conven- 
iently and  be  sure  they  would  not  be  hurt,  and  quite 
a  large  mirror,  because  he  knew  she  hated  to  be  with- 
out one,  with  a  wood  flap  to  cover  its  face  in  travel- 
ling. She  sat  down  at  last  in  a  folding-chair  in  the 
centre,  and  looked  round,  supremely  content  with 
her  future  residence. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE    LIONS    OF    THE    DESEET 

AGAINST  the  blinding  brazen  glare  of  the  African  sky 
the  green  tops  of  the  palms  of  the  oasis  of  Tel-el- 
kelb  waved  gratefully  and  threw  their  precious  shade 
over  the  white  tents  clustered  at  their  feet.  It  was 
high  noon  and  the  heat,  here,  away  from  the  magic 
breeze  that  is  always  found  on  the  Nile,  was  in- 
tense. 

It  was  a  large  encampment  altogether,  the  low 
brown  canvas  tents  at  the  back,  far  in  the  grove  of 
palms,  indicating  the  servants'  quarters,  the  higher 
and  larger  white  ones,  grouped  together  more  to- 
wards the  edge  of  the  trees,  showed  European  com- 
fort in  the  midst  of  their  severe  simplicity. 

At  the  door  of  the  largest  white  tent  sat  Regina, 
looking  out  with  her  clear  blue  eyes,  gazing  from  the 
wavering  shadow  of  the  palms  far  into  the  sunlit 
distances  of  the  desert  that  stretched  away  in  limit- 
less tawny  ripples  to  the  far  horizon,  broken  here  and 
there  by  exquisite  shallow  lakes  of  azure  surrounded 
by  black  rocks  and  stunted  trees  which  mirrored 
themselves  in  the  shining  water. 

Ah,  those  lakes!  —  those  wonderful  lakes  of  the 
desert,  which,  when  one  walks  towards  them,  vanish 
utterly,  and  on  the  spot  where  they  have  been  — 

shining  water,  rocks  and  trees  —  looks  up  to  mock 

223 


224       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

one  only  the  glittering  yellow  sand.  The  mirage 
of  the  desert,  how  wonderful  it  is.  It  had  for  Re- 
gina  a  fascination,  a  magnetic  influence  upon  her 
that  she  could  neither  explain  nor  resist.  It  seemed 
she  could  never  tire  of  gazing  out  on  those  magic 
shining  phantom  waters  of  the  waste.  She  looked 
very  pale  as  she  sat  there,  her  chin  leaning  on  her 
hand,  her  elbow  on  her  knee,  across  which  rested  the 
deadly  little  rifle.  She  wore  a  short  brown  canvas 
skirt  reaching  only  to  her  knees ;  below  the  beauti- 
fully moulded  calves  and  ankles  were  encased  in 
brown  gaiters  fitting  tightly  over  the  tops  of  her 
neat,  low-heeled  boots.  A  loose  blouse  of  the  same 
colour  was  drawn  in  tightly  by  the  heavy  belt  full  of 
cartridges  that  enclosed  her  waist.  She  was  wear- 
ing no  hat  and  the  yellow  light  flung  up  from  the 
sanded  floor  turned  her  hair  into  soft  gold  above  the 
pallor  of  her  face. 

A  month,  she  was  thinking,  had  gone  by  since 
Sybil  had  joined  them,  and  they  had  all  gone  into 
camp.  And  how  she  had  suffered  in  those  thirty 
days !  A  little  at  first  and  then  more  and  more 
with  each  day  that  passed,  a  long  and  terrible 
crescendo,  as  it  were,  of  suffering. 

The  girl  had  come  out,  as  Regina  had  thought, 
and  as  she  now  knew,  with  the  deliberate  intention 
of  taking  Everest  away  from  her,  and  she  had  pur- 
sued this  plan  with  a  callousness  and  an  ingenuity 
that  was  simply  inconceivable.  The  extreme  clever- 
ness of  all  her  tactics  seemed  to  Regina  wonderful 
in  a  person  who,  outside  this  one  idea,  appeared  to 
have  absolutely  no  brains  at  all. 

.The  main  feature  of  her  scheme  was  an  excessive 


THE  LIONS  OF  THE  DESERT       225 

amiability  towards  Regina,  nothing  could  exceed  her 
apparent  admiration,  affection  and  respect  for  her. 
And  by  this  attitude,  from  the  first,  she  completely 
disarmed  Everest,  as  Regina  recognised  with  a  deep 
pain  in  her  heart.  Clever  and  keen  as  he  usually 
was  in  penetrating  most  people's  masks  and  shams, 
and  understanding  their  real  motives  and  feelings, 
he  seemed  to  be  completely  deceived  by  this  girl's 
clever  acting.  It  was  so  well  done,  never  overdone, 
but  always  perfectly  even,  natural  and  genuine,  that 
Regina,  to  a  certain  extent,  understood  this.  Any 
man,  lacking  as  he  does  the  keen  female  intuitive 
instinct  about  these  things,  would  have  been  deceived 
in  the  same  way.  It  was  always  "  What  would  Mrs. 
Lanark  like  ?  "  when  any  expedition  was  proposed, 
anything  suggested,  and  a  charming  turn  of  the 
golden  head  with  a  world  of  affectionate  inquiry  in 
the  blue  eyes.  "  Would  you  like  to  go  out,"  or 
"  Are  you  tired,  dear,  after  yesterday  ?  "  and  so  on, 
and  Regina  saw  no  other  way  than  to  accept  all  this 
poisonous  affection  and  be  gentle  and  amiable  in  re- 
turn. 

Everest,  who  would  have  resented  the  least  dis- 
courtesy towards  Regina,  began  to  feel  in  this  way 
an  attraction  towards  the  pretty,  fairy-like  creature 
who  was  so  devoted  to  the  woman  he  loved,  and  quite 
lost  his  suspicions  that  she  would  make  mischief  and 
disagreement  in  the  camp. 

To  Everest  himself  she  was  submission  and  flat- 
tery personified.  She  listened  devoutly  to  all  he 
said,  never  held  a  contrary  opinion  to  his,  was  al- 
ways willing  to  adapt  herself  to  his  or  Regina's 
wishes.  She  would  do  this  or  that  which  was  con- 


226       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

venient,  either  stay  in  camp  or  go  with  them ;  ride 
whatever  was  provided  for  her,  do  whatever  was  de- 
sired, and  in  the  evenings  sang  and  played  divinely 
on  the  guitar  which  she  had  brought  with  her.  Her 
beauty  seemed  to  increase  daily,  and  to  Regina  the 
reason  for  this  was  perfectly  clear.  She  was  play- 
ing a  most  exciting,  difficult  and  successful  game, 
and  the  excitement  and  joy  of  it  lent  to  her  that 
peculiar  beauty  of  intense  animation  which  no  other 
can  equal. 

There  was  no  doubt  that  she  coveted  Everest  per- 
sonally, with  all  the  force  of  which  she  was  capable, 
and  Nature  is  always  on  the  side  of  any  individual 
fighting  for  a  mate.  She  lends  beauty  and  charm  to 
the  female  as  she  lends  power  and  magnetism  to  the 
male. 

And  Everest  closely  in  contact  with  this  young, 
beautiful,  insistent  woman,  who  was  new  to  him,  felt 
that  transient  sensory  desire  for  her  which  is  a  purely 
natural  spontaneous  impulse  in  natures  like  his,  full 
to  the  brim  of  energy  and  vigour,  possessing  both 
far  in  excess  of  the  demands  of  daily  life. 

His  love  for  Regina  went  very  deep  into  his  whole 
organisation,  and  his  power  of  self-control  was 
strong,  therefore  had  he  realised  at  the  first  that  he 
was  going  to  do  anything  to  make  his  idol  unhappy 
he  would  have  strenuously  resisted  the  new  invading 
passion.  But,  as  in  all  these  cases  the  beginnings 
are  imperceptible,  the  slope  of  the  hill  is  far  slipped 
down  by  the  unwary  feet  before  they  even  feel  they 
are  descending. 

In  this  case  Sybil  had  masked  her  advances  with 
infinite  care.  Of  course  there  could  be  no  love-mak- 


THE  LIONS  OF  THE  DESERT        227 

ing,  no  flirtation,  between  them  now.  He  was  a 
married  man,  she  knew,  bound  to  that  lovely  and 
exquisite  Regina  for  ever  and  ever;  but  there  could 
be  such  a  nice  camaraderie  between  them;  they  were 
such  old  friends  and  cousins,  and  cousins  might  kiss 
each  other,  as  they  had  always  done,  and  her  kisses 
were  cousinly  little  things  at  first,  so  that,  without 
in  the  least  alarming  him  at  the  beginning,  she 
established  forms  of  intimacy  that  gradually  after- 
wards she  could  fill  with  passion. 

When  he  awoke  to  the  passion  in  them  it  was  too 
late :  it  had  set  fire  to  his  own ;  he  knew  that  he 
wanted  those  kisses,  desired  them,  as  he  did  the 
woman  herself! 

It  is  useless  for  those  who  read  this  record  to  frown 
and  scowl  and  talk  of  his  love  for  Regina  and  regard 
him  as  a  monster  because,  while  loving  and  possess- 
ing her,  he  desired  another.  His  love  for  Regina 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  question.  One  might  as 
well  argue  that  because  one  dines  every  night  at 
home  one  never  wants  to  dine  out  with  a  friend. 

The  idea  of  replacing  Regina  with  Sybil  never 
occurred  to  him.  Regina  was  for  him  something  he 
could  never  part  with,  a  portion  of  his  own  life.  All 
the  feelings  for  her  were  so  deep,  so  real,  so  inter- 
twisted with  the  mental  emotions,  it  was  impossible 
to  compare  them  with  those  for  Sybil.  But  she  had 
the  amazing  power  of  novelty  on  her  side;  she  had 
that  charm  for  Everest  that  the  unlearned  language 
has  for  the  student,  the  unknown  country  for  the  ex- 
plorer ;  and  when  Regina  at  last  appealed  to  him 
about  the  matter,  he  suddenly  realised  that  the  pres- 
ence oi  Sybil,  her  society,  the  sight  of  her,  her  kisses, 


228       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

gave  him  a  keen  pleasure  that  now  he  did  not  at  all 
wish  to  give  up. 

The  first  time  that  Regina  spoke  to  him  of  her 
own  pain  and  distress  was  in  their  tent  at  night, 
alone,  and  Everest  had  come  up  to  her  and  taken 
her  into  his  arms. 

"  Dear  little  girl,  how  can  you  be  so  foolish  ? 
There  is  no  one  in  the  world  for  me  except  yourself." 

And  this  was  quite  true,  for  Everest  had  never  felt 
for  any  woman  the  same  feelings  as  he  had  done  for 
her,  and  it  never  occurred  to  him  that  he  could  ever 
part  with  her.  But  the  curious  pleasure  that  his 
cousin's  face  gave  him,  the  momentary  physical  de- 
light of  her  kiss,  the  joy  of  putting  his  arm  round 
the  tiny  form  and  seeing  her  little  teeth  gleam  in  a 
smile  upon  him,  all  these  were  very  dear  to  him, 
though  he  did  not  ever  dream  of  her  in  any  lasting 
relationship. 

When  Everest  was  alone  he  often  wondered  himself 
how  it  was  that,  knowing  so  well  and  disliking  so 
greatly,  as  he  did,  this  woman's  character  and  all  her 
mentality,  the  physical  charm  of  her  presence,  the 
sound,  sight  and  touch  of  her  could  give  so  much 
pleasure.  It  seemed  almost  sometimes  as  if  the  fact 
that  there  was  little  sympathy,  almost  no  point  of 
union,  between  them,  no  attraction  except  the  phys- 
ical, seemed  to  heighten  that  physical  attraction, 
increase  its  power.  He  knew  perfectly  well  that, 
in  order  to  please  Regina  and  preserve  her  happi- 
ness, he  ought  to  annihilate  this  new  passion,  which, 
insignificant  as  it  really  was  with  reference  to  his 
life  as  a  whole,  for  the  moment  gave  him  so  much 
pleasure ;  but  then,  was  he  bound  to  do  this,  he  asked 


THE  LIONS  OF  THE  DESERT        229 

himself.  How  far  do  the  rights  of  others  go?  How 
far  ought  he  to  deny  himself,  sacrifice  himself  that  she 
might  enjoy  to  the  full  her  life,  instead  of  him  en- 
joying his? 

She  had  given  him  the  extreme  of  pleasure,  it  is 
true,  but  in  return  he  had  laid  everything  he  had  at 
her  feet.  That  she  had  not  accepted  his  gifts  in 
full  was  not  his  fault.  He  had  not  withdrawn  any 
of  them,  nor  ever  would.  The  first  place  in  his  life, 
in  his  soul,  was  for  her.  Then  they  were  equally 
in  debt  to  each  other,  and  now  what  was  to  be  done? 
He  wanted  to  enjoy  this  new  pleasure,  have  this  new 
excitement,  and  not  being  in  any  way  an  ideal  char- 
acter, but  only  an  extremely  passionate  and  rather 
selfish  individual  with  some  few  delightful  traits,  he 
determined  to  take  it  —  determined,  that  is  to  say, 
in  that  vague  and  indefinite  manner  that  one  always 
determines  such  things,  driven  by  physical  impulses, 
led  by  forces  of  which  we  know  nothing,  compelled 
by  unseen  powers,  like  the  helpless,  whirling  leaf 
before  the  gale.  There  was  no  deliberate  purpose, 
plan  or  intention.  Imperceptibly  he  had  grown  in- 
terested in  Sybil's  playing  and  singing  after  dinner; 
her  quaint,  inconsequent  prattle  in  its  novelty 
amused  him,  though  he  quite  well  recognised  it  would 
be  intolerable  once  its  newness  had  worn  off,  her  face 
from  its  great  beauty  of  line  had  always  pleased  him 
immensely,  her  ardent  kiss,  with  those  exquisitely 
carved  scarlet  lips,  had  shaken  his  reason,  and  so 
from  out  of  all  these  had  grown  gradually  desire, 
which  is  merciless,  blind,  relentless,  savage,  quick 
in  its  onward  rush,  rapid  in  its  disappearance  as 
any  desert  lion. 


230       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

Regina  sat  at  her  tent  door  and  thought  over  all 
these  things,  and  the  burnished  glory  of  the  golden 
desert  swam  before  her  in  a  mist  of  tears. 

She  had  not  read  and  studied  and  thought  as  she 
Lad  without  acquiring  that  philosophy  that  knowl- 
edge gives,  but  no  philosophy  could  help  her  against 
the  deadly  pain  now  of  her  daily  life.  As  far  as 
the  shooting  went,  the  camp  up  till  now  had  not  been 
a  success.  Small  game  and  birds  of  every  sort  and 
kind  there  were  in  limitless  numbers,  but  the  lion 
district,  according  to  their  native  guides,  was  al- 
ways somewhere  beyond.  This  range  of  hills,  that 
ridge  to  the  west,  the  lions  had  always  retreated 
there,  but  when  the  whole  party  had  duly  packed 
and  moved  there,  the  new  camp  on  the  range  of  hills 
or  on  the  western  ridge  was  equally  devoid  of  lion. 

The  men,  except  Everest,  went  out  every  day  and 
shot  what  they  could  find,  largely  antelope,  but  Ever- 
est always  having  been  prompted  by  his  own  nature 
against  the  taking  of  defenceless  life,  since  his  in- 
timacy with  Regina,  had  lost  all  desire  or  capability 
of  doing  it.  If  they  came  upon  a  lion  he  would 
shoot,  the  sporting  chance  was  equal  there,  the 
danger  shared,  the  game  well  able  to  look  after  itself ; 
but  with  the  taking  of  the  beautiful  innocent  life 
which  abounded  all  round  them  he  would  have  noth- 
ing to  do.  Regina  revolted  utterly  from  it,  and 
would  never  visit  the  large  tent  at  the  back  of  the 
camp  where  the  antelope  were  hung  and  the  fla- 
mingo flung  in  heaps,  dead  and  dying  together,  their 
exquisite  plumage  making  it  seem  as  if  a  sunset  cloud 
had  fallen  there. 

At  first  Everest  and  Regina  had  spent  together  a 


THE  LIONS  OF  THE  DESERT       231 

great  deal  of  the  time  painting,  and  Sybil,  who, 
though  she  could  not  hold  a  rifle  straight  herself,  had 
no  objection  to  seeing  things  killed,  accompanied 
her  brother  and  the  others  on  their  shoots.  But  lat- 
terly Everest  had  cared  less  about  the  sketching  and 
had  taken  Sybil  for  camel  rides  in  the  desert,  rides 
in  which  Regina  could  have  joined  had  she  been  able 
to  force  herself  to  the  pain  of  witnessing  Everest's 
pleasure  as  he  lifted  his  cousin  on  and  off  her  camel, 
and  the  passion  in  his  eyes  as  he  spoke  to  and  smiled 
upon  her. 

They  had  gone  out  to-day,  and  Regina  had  stayed 
in  camp  and  practised  her  shooting  all  the  morning. 
She  could  talk  with  the  natives  and  she  understood 
they  were  nearing  the  lion  district,  and  she  ardently 
longed  if  any  occasion  arose  in  which  she  could  put 
her  skill  at  Everest's  service,  or  in  his  defence,  to- 
have  it  at  her  command,  to  show  him  all  those  dear 
lessons  in  the  past  happy  time  were  not  given  in  vain. 
She  had  shot  splendidly.  Not  a  single  mark  out  of 
any  of  those  which  she  had  set  herself  had  she  missed, 
and  her  nerves,  so  excitable  by  all  mental  emotions, 
seemed  to  calm  and  steady  themselves  when  her 
fingers  closed  on  a  rifle  as  they  did  when  they  took 
up  her  paint-brush. 

Now  she  was  tired,  and  she  sat  waiting  for  them  to 
return,  for  the  exquisitely  painful  pleasure  of  Ever- 
est's kiss,  knowing  that  his  lips  had  only  recently 
left  another's. 

All  the  other  three  men  were  more  or  less  in  love 
with  her  in  varying  degrees,  rather  to  Everest's 
amusement,  but  she  only  entertained  a  sick  antipathy 
towards  them  and  their  blood-stained  hands  and 


THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

clothes,  such  as  any  ordinary  person  feels  on  meeting 
a  butcher  coming  out  of  his  shambles. 

She  insisted  that  they  should  come  moderately 
clean  to  the  dining  tent  and  that  the  conversation 
at  dinner  should  not  be  upon  wounding  and  crippling, 
death  agonies  and  blinded  eyes  and  mangling  shots, 
and  as  Everest  backed  her  up  in  this  they  had  to 
submit. 

Immediately  after  dinner  she  withdrew  to  her  own 
tent,  leaving  them  to  their  smoking  and  brandy- 
drinking  and  their  talk  of  blood  and  death.  And 
sitting  there  alone,  she  could  hear  the  soft  tinkle  of 
the  guitar  and  the  pretty  girlish  voice  singing  love 
songs  under  the  palms  where  Sybil  had  gone,  and 
where  Everest,  wearied  also  by  the  drinking,  smok- 
ing and  conversation  in  which  he  did  not  care  to 
take  a  part,  had  followed  her.  How  she  suffered! 
Like  a  bodily  illness,  the  sickness  of  jealousy  seems 
to  diffuse  paralysing  pain  throughout  the  whole 
system. 

Yet  after  that  hour,  or  sometimes  half-an-hour,  of 
misery,  when  Everest  himself  came  to  the  tent,  and 
raising  the  door  flap  stepped  inside,  she  rose  to  meet 
him  with  a  smile  and  waves  of  intense  happiness 
vibrated  through  her  as  her  eyes  took  in  his  image. 
The  sight  of  him,  his  presence  near  her  had  still  that 
same  tremendous  power  over  her  that  it  had  had  from 
the  first.  The  sharp  contrast  that  he  presented  to 
the  other  men  they  were  now  with  seemed  to  heighten 
still  further  the  effect  upon  her  senses.  When  he 
came  in,  pale  and  calm  as  usual,  his  clear  skin  fresh 
and  cool  from  the  outside  air,  his  dark  eyes  full  of 
fire,  and  approached  her,  willing  to  kiss  and  caress 


THE  LIONS  OF  THE  DESERT        233 

her,  she  knew  she  must  forgive  him  everything,  she 
wanted  and  desired  him  too  much  to  do  anything  else. 
How  different  he  seemed  from  the  thick-skinned, 
burnt-faced,  heavy-eyed  men  she  had  left  in  the  din- 
ing tent,  flushed  with  over-eating  and  drinking,  soaked 
through  with  the  scent  of  tobacco  and  brandy 
and  of  old  blood  on  their  clothes  and  of  grease  and 
mud  on  their  shooting  boots.  Had  they  been  models 
of  fidelity  and  all  the  domestic  virtues  she  would  not 
have  let  one  kiss  her,  hardly  to  save  her  life,  so 
violently  did  they  in  themselves  outrage  her 
aesthetic  sense,  but  by  Everest,  if  she  were  mentally 
hurt  and  wounded,  yet  the  physical  compensations 
in  himself  were  so  overwhelming  that  she  could  not 
do  otherwise  than  go  on  loving  him,  through  all  her 
suffering.  Everest  never  came  to  her  in  the  condi- 
tion —  dirty,  untidy,  smoky,  semi-fuddled  —  that 
these  men  seemed  to  live  in,  if,  indeed,  he  was  ever  in 
that  condition  at  all,  which  seemed  impossible  in 
connection  with  him.  The  order  and  beauty  of  his 
rooms  that  had  so  intensified  her  love  for  him  when 
she  surprised  him  in  London  seemed  always  to  be 
part  of  his  person,  his  clothes,  his  atmosphere. 
Without  ever  in  the  least  seeming  to  care  about  his 
dress  or  be  conscious  of  his  looks,  he  always  seemed 
to  be  clean,  well-attired,  fresh,  alert-eyed,  as  an 
officer  going  on  parade. 

And  often  in  those  night  vigils,  when  the  bitter 
gall  of  jealousy  had  risen  to  the  brim  of  her  nature 
and  anger  burnt  in  all  her  veins  and  a  torrent  of 
lava-like  words  waited  on  her  tongue,  and  her  brain 
seethed  with  madness,  when  he  really  came  to  her, 
all  possible  reproaches  slipped  from  her  mind;  she 


234       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

felt  only  inclined  to  fall  upon  her  knees  before  him, 
as  a  slave  girl  before  an  emperor,  and  tell  him  how 
much  she  worshipped  him. 

As  she  sat  now  looking  into  the  golden  haze  of  the 
distance,  which  reddened  softly  as  the  sunset  hour 
approached,  she  saw  the  light  veils  of  dust  rising 
which  meant  the  nearing  of  the  home-coming  party, 
and  she  rose  and  retreated  into  her  own  tent.  She 
guessed  that  Sybil  and  Everest  would  be  riding  to- 
gether and  she  did  not  wish  to  see  it.  She  found 
that  when  she  did  not  actually  see  them  together  she 
suffered  less.  She  knew  with  her  reason  that  much 
of  what  so  hurt  her  senses,  looks,  smiles,  tones,  even 
caresses,  from  a  man  of  his  nature,  really  meant  very 
little,  and  therefore  when  her  eyes  and  ears  were  not 
pained  by  them  she  was  less  disturbed.  Behind 
these  two  would  come  the  three  sportsmen,  and  then 
all  the  horrid  procession  of  limp,  blood-covered 
bodies,  masses  of  beautiful  dead  birds  carried  along 
by  the  troop  of  servants.  That  she  did  not  wish  to 
see  either.  So  she  retreated  into  the  shadow  and 
shelter  of  her  tent  and  pulled  down  the  door  flap, 
knowing  that  Everest  would  come  in  when  Sybil  had 
dismounted  and  gone  to  her  tent,  and  the  three  men 
with  their  spoils  and  their  attendants  had  disap- 
peared to  the  gun-room  tent  at  the  back. 

She  set  her  rifle  in  the  corner  after  unloading  it 
and  slipped  off  her  belt  of  cartridges,  as  it  is  hardly 
a,  comfortable  adjunct  to  one's  clothing  in  a  close 
embrace,  and  while  she  did  so  she  heard  all  the  noise 
without  of  the  return,  the  snuffing  of  the  camels,  the 
barking  of  dogs,  the  chatter  of  the  natives,  the  drag- 
ging of  the  heavy  antelope  on  the  sand,  and  the  scent 


THE  LIONS  OF  THE  DESERT       235 

of  blood  and  dust  came  to  her  nostrils  through  all 
the  chinks  of  the  tent. 

She  waited  some  time,  but  Everest  did  not  come, 
and  the  sounds  subsided  outside.  As  all  grew  quiet 
again,  she  lifted  a  little  window  flap  that  was  at  one 
side  of  the  tent  and  looked  out  into  the  green  shade 
of  the  palm.  Her  heart  gave  a  great  bound  and 
then  seemed  to  stand  still  and  tremble  as  a  stricken 
deer.  They  were  standing  there,  not  twenty  yards 
away,  Sybil  and  Everest,  their  hands  in  each  other's, 
apparently  about  to  part.  The  girl's  fair,  pale  face 
lifted  to  his  showed  distinctly  against  the  deep 
shadow  behind  her. 

Regina  looked  at  Everest,  and  a  sudden  fury  like 
the  hot  smoke  of  a  fire  rose  over  all  her  brain.  A 
panting  thirst  after  something  not  defined  stirred  in 
all  her  blood,  and  then  came  the  query,  like  a  voice  in 
a  dream:  "  Why  not  end  this?  Why  not  kill  her?  " 
She  could  do  it  so  easily  now  as  she  stood  there,  a 
perfect  mark  for  Regina,  who  could  pierce  a  cactus 
leaf  through  the  exact  centre  at  twenty  yards.  She 
was  very  near  to  Everest,  it  was  true,  but  Regina 
knew  her  aim  so  well  —  that  calm  white  oval  against 
the  green.  She  could  send  a  shot  from  her  pistol 
out  of  the  tent  that  would  find  it  and  shatter  it  for 
ever. 

Without  knowing  it,  in  that  instant  of  frightful 
jealous  rage,  her  feet  had  carried  her  across  the 
tent,  her  fingers  had  clasped  her  pistol  and  drawn 
it  from  her  belt.  Swift  and  silent  as  a  shadow  she 
was  back  at  the  little  window;  they  were  still  there, 
nearer  each  other,  that  was  all.  She  cocked  the  re- 
volver and  aimed  it  so  that  she  covered  the  delicate 


236       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

and  perfect  carving  of  that  pale  disk  beneath  the 
trees.  Then  her  true  self  woke  suddenly  and  rushed 
upon  her,  and  her  hand  dropped  to  her  side. 

How  mad,  how  foolish  her  impulse  had  been ! 
Better  turn  the  pistol  on  herself  than  that.  Death 
was  far  better  than  to  live  dishonoured,  burdened 
with  the  blood  of  another.  Sybil  had  injured  her 
enough  already.  She  should  not  turn  her  into  a 
murderess;  besides,  death  or  injury  to  Sybil  meant 
suffering  for  Everest,  and  in  her  wildest  moments 
she  had  no  wish  to  cause  him  pain  or  distress.  To 
her,  an  object  once  loved  was  sacred.  No  faintest 
thought  of  revenge  on  him  ever  came  near  her  mind- 
He  had  offered  to  bind  himself  to  her  and  she  had 
refused.  She  had  wished  him  to  be  free.  Well 
then,  how  illogical,  how  absurd  her  attitude  now, 
like  that  of  a  pettish  child. 

She  closed  the  flap  of  the  tent  and  sank  down  on 
the  side  of  the  bed  and  buried  her  face  in  her  hands, 
lost  in  a  sense  of  humiliation  and  self-condemnation. 
Here  Everest  found  her  when  he  came  in,  and  as 
she  looked  up  and  saw  him  enter,  smiling  and  full  of 
life,  a  sense  of  joy  came  to  her  that  no  mad  act  of 
hers  had  brought  misery  upon  him  and  so  upon  them 
both.  She  ros.e  as  he  approached  her.  She  was 
very  white,  but  she  smiled  up  at  him  as  she  saw  the 
look  of  concern  come  into  his  face. 

"  You  look  so  pale.  Do  you  feel  ill?  Is  the  heat 
too  much  for  you  ?  '*  he  exclaimed  anxiously. 

"  No ;  I  am  quite  well.  I  always  get  dull  and  miss 
you  when  you  are  out,  that  is  all,"  she  answered. 
She  would  not  speak  to  him  of  Sybil.  She  knew  in 
matters  of  love  coercion  is  useless,  words  are  use- 


THE  LIONS  OF  THE  DESERT       237 

less,  everything  is  useless.  Like  a  malady,  like  a 
sickness,  desire  drifts  across  the  brain  and  runs  its 
course.  Sometimes  the  sufferer  dies,  but  more  often 
he  recovers  and  asks :  "  Was  I  ever  ill  ?  " 

She  took  up  the  pistol  and  put  it  back  in  its  place 
and  busied  herself  with  making  tea  for  him,  and  all 
the  time  her  mind  was  recalling  the  exquisite  lines 
of  Sophocles  on  love :  "  Like  tlie  icicle  lying  in  the 
hot  hand  of  the  wondering  boy  it  diminishes  and  van- 
ishes even  while  he  gazes  on  it  and  the  harder,  the 
tighter,  he  clasps  it,  the  more  rapidly  does  it  disap- 
pear." 

Day  after  miserable  day  went  by  for  Regina,  while 
the  hate,  which  was  wholly  alien  to  her  nature,  for 
Sybil  grew  within  her,  and  like  some  horrible  phys- 
ical growth  hurt  and  oppressed  her  in  the  growing 
and  seemed  to  poison  her  whole  organisation. 

If  she  could  only  have  known  clearly  what  Ever- 
est's feelings  were;  but  he  would  not  speak  on  the 
subject.  He  had  admitted  that  he  desired  the  girl, 
and  all  his  assurances  that  nothing  could  affect  his 
love  for  Regina  might  be  merely  to  comfort  her. 
At  the  best  he  wanted  something  that,  but  for  her 
presence,  he  could  and  would  have  obtained.  And  to 
Regina  her  own  duty,  her  course  of  conduct  was 
not  clear.  She  had  brought  with  her  into  camp  a 
few  books,  and  among  them  "  Anna  Lombard," 
which  she  read  and  reread,  finding  in  the  position  of 
Gerald  Ethridge  some  reflection  of  her  own.  But 
to  her,  her  situation  seemed  more  difficult,  her  duty 
more  obscure  than  his,  for  in  Gerald's  case  he  felt 
convinced  that  Anna's  love  for  the  Pathan  could  not 
bring  her  happiness,  and  therefore  he  could  beb'eve 


238       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

himself  justified  in  trying  his  utmost  to  turn  her  from 
it,  but  here  the  torturing  thought  would  ever  pre- 
sent itself  to  Regina  that  Sybil  had  every  quality 
to  fit  her  to  be  Everest's  wife.  She  might  well  hold 
herself  to  be  in  the  right  and  Regina  in  the  wrong. 
She  could  bring  to  the  man  she  married  a  large 
dower,  noble  rank,  lands,  old  name.  She  was  the 
bride  picked  out  and  selected  for  him  by  his  own 
family  and  people,  and  now  he  himself  desired  her. 
In  utter  anguish  of  soul  Regina  asked  herself  again 
and  again  why  was  she  standing  between?  The  girl 
was  beautiful  too,  and  though,  to  Regina,  the  ex- 
treme disproportion  of  size  between  the  cousins 
jarred  and  seemed  unnatural,  yet  she  had  to  admit 
that  Nature  worked  that  way,  constantly  making  the 
male  seek  his  opposite  in  his  mate,  so  that  the  aver- 
age of  the  type  may  be  maintained. 

She  hated  Sybil  with  the  fierce  natural  hate  of  any 
human  being  for  another  who  robs  and  despoils  him 
of  his  dearest  possessions,  but  logically  she  could 
not  defend  that  hatred  of  her.  In  the  eyes  of  the 
world  she  knew  that  Sybil  and  not  herself  would  be 
given  the  better  title  to  Everest. 

If  she  could  only  have  known  what  he  thought, 
what  he  felt !  If  she  could  only  have  penetrated 
thfe  mystery  that  had  grown  up  round  his  feelings 
and  relations  to  his  cousin!  But  like  all  men  he 
would  not  speak  definitely  or  clearly  to  her  about  it. 
That  silence  of  men!  How  much  it  has  to  account 
for!  We  have  all  heard  of  the  crimes  without  num- 
ber traced  to  and  excused  by  the  celebrated  habit  of 
"  nagging  "  which  belongs  to  women.  No  condemna- 
tion is  too  severe  for  it.  No  sympathy  too  exces- 


THE  LIONS  OF  THE  DESERT       239 

sive  to  be  given  to  the  male  sufferers  from  it.  But 
what  of  that  dogged  brutal  silence  of  men  that  cor- 
rodes and  eats  into  the  sensitive,  excitable  brain  of 
a  woman?  For  how  many  murders  and  suicides  has 
that  not  been  accountable? 

In  the  whole  world  there  is  no  lash  more  effective, 
no  vitriol  more  corrosive  than  this  silence  in  which 
men  cloak  their  various  infamies. 

Everest  had  been  far  more  outspoken  than  most 
men  would  have  been,  but  he  also,  as  the  days  went 
by,  seemed  to  grow  more  reserved,  more  silent.  A 
sort  of  abstraction  seemed  to  enclose  him,  and  often 
after  a  day's  expedition,  in  the  evening,  when  they 
had  gone  to  their  own  tent  —  those  evenings  which 
formerly  had  been  so  dear  to  her  —  he  would  lie 
down  on  the  camp  sofa  and  fall  apparently  into  a 
reverie  which  left  him  hardly  conscious  of  her  pres- 
ence. Looking  at  him  she  could  see  his  face  had  a 
pained,  abstracted  pallor  on  it.  She  could  not  tell 
of  what  he  was  thinking,  but  she  knew  that  he  was 
desiring  another  and  that  she  stood  between. 

And  the  strain  of  all  this  was  so  great  that  it 
seemed  to  her  she  must  escape  from  it  or  go  mad. 
But  there  was  no  escape  for  any  of  them  from  each 
other.  Like  a  lot  of  hostile  animals  in  a  cage,  they 
were  shut  up  together  in  the  camp  to  quarrel  as  they 
chose,  and  on  all  sides  the  sandy  waste  hemmed  them 
in. 

One  day  she  went  out  a  little  way  from  her  tent 
with  her  easel  and  colours.  She  was  alone.  St 
John,  James  and  Graham  had  gone  out  quite  early, 
and  Everest  and  Sybil,  after  luncheon,  had  strolled 
away  together  among  the  palms.  She  did  not  know 


240       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

where  they  had  gone,  nor  did  it  matter.  She  never 
sought  to  spy  upon  them  or  follow  them  or  to  see 
where  they  went  or  what  they  did.  The  fact  that 
Everest  wished  to  be  with  the  girl  was  all  that  mat- 
tered. The  intense  bitterness  of  this  knowledge  was 
so  overwhelming  that  all  detail  of  pain  and  distress 
was  lost  in  it. 

To-day,  left  alone  in  the  suffocating  heat  of  mid- 
day in  the  tent,  with  nothing  but  her  hatred  of  Sybil, 
her  passion  for  Everest  and  her  sick  misery  in  the 
present  situation  for  companion,  she  felt  as  if  her 
brain  would  give  way. 

She  must  get  out,  under  the  open  sky,  in  the  shade 
of  the  grove,  and  perhaps  she  could  lose  herself  tem- 
porarily in  some  inspiration.  She  must,  in  some 
way,  break  up  the  maddening  circle  of  her  thoughts. 
Suppose  she  lost  her  reason  and  killed  or  injured 
Everest!  The  mere  thought  filled  her  with  cold  hor- 
ror and  fear.  Never,  never,  never,  whatever  he  did, 
however  he  made  her  suffer,  would  she  in  her  sane 
moments  retaliate,  never  could  she  hurt  or  harm  this 
man  who  had  given  her  so  much  happiness.  But 
after  all  the  brain  is  an  unstable  thing  —  she  would 
not  know  what  she  did  if  the  veil  of  madness  were 
suddenly  drawn  over  it. 

Oppressed  by  this  new  thought,  she  gathered  her 
painting  materials  together  and  wandered  slowly 
through  her  tent  door  towards  the  shadiest  part  of 
the  grove. 

There  were  two  palms  leaning  a  little  together 
which  caught  her  eye,  and  between  them  a  tiny  brown 
tent  by  a  clump  of  banana-trees,  the  whole  forming 
a  little  picture  in  glowing  light  and  wavering  shade, 


THE  LIONS  OF  THE  DESERT        241 

and  she  dropped  down  here,  weary  and  heart-sick, 
putting  up  her  easel  and  trying  to  set  her  mind  upon 
her  work. 

Her  talent  was  so  great  that  even  in  that  state  of 
pain  and  suffering  her  hand  obeyed  her  will  almost 
mechanically,  and  she  soon  had  the  whole  sketched 
in  on  the  paper. 

She  was  just  commencing  the  colouring  when  she 
heard  voices  close  to  her  and  quivered  and  grew 
deadly  pale  as  she  recognised  Everest's  and  its  gentle 
tones. 

"  I  do  love  you  so  much,"  she  heard  Sybil's  voice 
saying,  "  and  you  are  beginning  to  love  me  too,  now 
just  a  little,  do  say  you  do?  " 

And  Everest  answered: 

"  Does  this  not  seem  like  it."  And  just  at  that 
moment  the  two  figures  came  in  view  round  a  palm 
close  to  those  under  which  she  was  sitting,  and  she 
saw  him  bend  over  the  girl  and  kiss  her. 

Regina  had  seen  them  kiss  before,  as  Sybil  had 
insisted  on  these  cousinly  habits  from  the  first,  but 
this  was  a  different  thing.  This  was  neither  a  greet- 
ing nor  a  leave-taking.  It  was  the  kiss  of  pleasure, 
prompted  by  passion,  sought  for  by  the  man. 

Regina  felt  absolutely  paralysed  by  the  agony  of 
witnessing  it.  She  could  not  move,  and  for  a  mo- 
ment could  hardly  breathe.  Like  those  who  looked 
on  the  Gorgon's  head,  she  felt  turning  into  stone. 

As  Everest  raised  his  head  after  their  kiss  they 
both  saw  her.  They  could  not  do  otherwise,  oppo- 
site her  and  only  a  few  yards  away.  All  three  for  the 
first  second  remained  rigid  and  staring,  then  Sybil 
burst  away  with  a  half  scream.  Everest  let  her  go, 


THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

not  seeming  to  notice  her  as  she  ran  towards  the 
camp.  He  stood  for  a  moment  where  he  was,  then 
he  walked  up  to  Regina. 

The  colour  burned  in  the  clear  cheek,  his  eyes  were 
kindling  with  excitement  and  anger.  He  looked 
splendidly,  cruelly  handsome  as  he  approached  her. 
She  could  not  move.  Fascinated  like  a  little  kid 
put  into  the  python's  cage,  she  stared  at  him  as  he 
came  up. 

"  Regina ! "  there  was  a  sharp  ring  of  annoyance 
and  anger  in  his  voice.  He  expected  reproaches, 
some  outburst,  but  no  sound  came  from  her.  She 
gazed  upon  him  quite  silently,  her  blue  eyes  looking 
black  and  burning  in  the  deadly  white  of  her  face. 

Everest  loved  her  so  dearly  that  he  could  not  bear 
to  face  the  anguish  of  that  gaze.  He  came  a  step 
nearer,  then,  with  his  natural  easy  grace,  threw  him- 
self on  the  ground  beside  her. 

"  Regina !  Darling !  It  is  nothing !  Kisses  like 
those  are  nothing!  Do  not  worry  yourself  or  make 
yourself  ill  over  them.  You  know,  better  than  most 
women,  what  men  are,  men  of  my  temperament 
especially.  I  don't  want  to  lie  to  you,  nor  to  deceive 
you,  but  I  don't  want  you  to  think  things  are  worse 
than  they  are.  Speak  to  me!  Say  you  forgive  me> 
dear  one." 

At  these  words,  in  the  loved  voice  that  ruled  all 
her  being,  Regina  burst  suddenly  into  tears  and  let 
him  draw  her  up  to  him,  her  tired  head,  weary  with 
much  pondering  over  the  same  painful  idea,  sank 
against  his  breast  and  she  continued  to  sob  and  sob 
there. 

"  There  is  no  question  of  my  forgiving,"  she  said 


THE  LIONS  OF  THE  DESERT        24g 

at  last  through  her  tears.  "  The  whole  thing  is  in 
your  hands.  You  do  want  this  girl,  I  suppose;  you 
do  desire  her?  " 

Everest  laughed  a  little  as  he  stroked  her  hair. 

"  In  a  way,  perhaps,  yes,  just  now.  It  is  difficult 
for  me  not  to  desire  any  beautiful  woman  who  tells 
me  she  loves  me.  I  am  not  accustomed  to  resisting 
them,  I'm  afraid.  The  position  with  Sybil  is  getting 
quite  impossible.  I  will  end  it  as  soon  as  I  can." 

"  But  what  would  you  like  to  do  about  her?  For 
yourself?  " 

"  Do  not  let  us  discuss  her  any  more,"  he  re- 
sponded, kissing  her  hair.  "  I  want  you  to  trust  me 
and  know  that  the  matter  between  her  and  me  does 
not  and  will  not  in  any  way  affect  our  relationship. 
Will  you  do  that  ?  "  And  what  could  Regina  say  or 
do  but  assent  and  let  him  kiss  away  her  tears. 

"  Come,"  he  added,  after  a  minute,  "  let  us  go  out 
of  the  grove.  It's  quite  cool  now,  we  can  walk  eas- 
ily." 

Regina  rose  at  once.  It  would  be  a  joy  to  be  out 
with  him  in  the  open,  away  from  the  hateful  camp. 
Everest  called  up  a  servant  and  told  him  to  pack  up 
carefully  and  take  into  the  tent  Regina's  easel  and 
drawing.  Then  he  slipped  his  arm  through  hers  and 
they  walked  through  the  palms  towards  the  gleaming 
gold  of  the  desert.  The  oasis  was  just  like  a  great 
temple,  she  thought,  with  the  straight  stems  of  the 
trees  rising  on  all  sides  like  pillars  to  support  the 
roof,  and  the  blue  and  gold  of  sand  and  sky  lay  be- 
yond its  cool  green  shade,  as  if  beyond  an  open  por- 
tal. 

The  light  was  full  of  rose  colour,  and  the  whole 


244       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

desert  before  them  looked  palely  pink  as  they 
emerged  from  the  grove.  Each  tiny  wavelet  of  the 
gigantic  sea  of  sand  was  rose-tinted  on  its  crest  and 
softly  mauve  in  its  rounded  hollow.  The  sky  was 
still  a  glorious  sapphire-blue,  but  transforming 
slowly  into  golden  orange  and  across  the  transpar- 
ent light  of  the  west  winged  in  joyous  flight  a  band 
of  flamingoes,  wonderful  in  their  exquisite  salmon- 
pink  and  flame-coloured  plumage.  The  calmness, 
the  delight  of  the  evening  hour  was  on  all  around. 

"  How  lovely  this  is !  "  Regina  exclaimed.  "  And 
I  feel  so  happy  whenever  I  am  alone  with  you.  It 
seems  like  the  enchanted  garden  days  again.  Oh, 
Everest,  I  am  so  grieved  that  this  girl  has  come  be- 
tween us  and  that  you  care  about  her  as  you  do." 

"  Who  can  understand  the  mystery  of  our  own 
hearts?  "  he  answered  bitterly.  "  They  are  just  like 
this  desert,  full  of  the  bright  shining  mirage  of  hope, 
and  the  oasis  of  beauty,  and  infested  with  the  lions 
of  passion  and  desire  that  are  always  prowling  there 
in  the  darkness." 

Regina  looked  up  at  him  as  he  walked  beside  her. 
How  well  he  knew  life  and  spoke  of  it.  Had  not  his 
passion  for  her  sprung  into  her  life  suddenly  as  a 
lion  and  devoured  her,  and  now  perhaps  was  passing 
on,  leaving  her  broken  and  destroyed  as  the  mangled 
remains  of  a  kid  on  the  sand  where  a  lion  has  fed. 
But  yet  he  had  led  her  to  those  oases  and  she  had 
drunk  deeply  there  of  the  sweetest  waters  of  life,  and 
he  had  shown  her  the  shining  mirage  and  dazzled  her 
eyes  with  those  beautiful  phantom  images  she  never 
could  have  seen  without  him.  Yes,  he  was  like  the 
desert,  and  she  could  not  hate  him  any  more  than  man 


THE  LIONS  OF  THE  DESERT       245 

can  hate  the  desert,  in  spite  of  its  cruelty  and  the 
death  it  deals  out  to  them.  Deeply,  marvellously 
pink,  lower  and  lower,  fell  the  light,  like  a  mantle 
dropping  on  them  and  the  face  of  the  waste.  They 
paused  and  looked  back  to  the  encampment.  Palms 
and  tents  and  the  figures  of  the  men  and  the  feeding 
camels,  all  looked  as  if  cut  out  of  ruby,  all  in  lustrous 
glowing  red  against  the  pale  warm  gold  background 
of  the  sky.  They  sat  down  on  a  rising  mound  of  the 
rippling  sand,  and  he  put  his  arm  round  her  and 
drew  her  close  to  him  till  her  head  found  its  resting- 
place  on  his  shoulder,  and  they  were  quite  silent, 
fearing  that  any  word  should  mar  the  deep  hush,  the 
infinite  peace  that  seemed  falling  like  a  benediction 
from  that  far-arched  crystal  sky,  and  over  the  girl's 
brain  came  softly  the  lines  of  an  old  French  song  she 
had  noted  somewhere  in  her  reading: 

"  Eloine  de  ton  coeur  le  fiel  qui  voudrait  s'y  glisser. 

Ce  n'est  point  dans  le  creur  de  femme  que  la  haine  doit  s'y  fixer." 

And  while  she  was  resolving  that  never  should  that 
bitterness  live  in  her  heart  for  him,  no  matter  what  his 
crimes  against  her,  he  was  questioning  within  himself 
why  and  how  it  was  that,  loving  this  woman  as  he  did, 
this  curious  wild  gust  of  emotion  should  have  swayed 
him  to  another.  He  disliked  Sybil,  he  had  always 
done  so.  For  years  she  had  courted  him  in  vain,  and 
yet  and  yet,  the  sight  of  those  lines  of  her  ivory  face, 
whenever  he  saw  them,  seemed  to  throw  madness 
through  all  his  veins.  It  would  tear  his  heart  in  two 
to  give  up  Regina,  not  for  any  reason  on  earth  would 
he  have  parted  with  her,  but  like  the  deadly  thirst 
that  comes  on  a  man  after  drinking  alkali  water  and 


246       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

drives  him  back  to  drink  of  the  poisonous  thing  again, 
his  desire  held  him  and  lived  with  him  against  his  wilL 

The  rose  light  faded  and  died  and  twilight  came  up 
over  the  desert  like  a  violet  flood.  Very  slowly  and 
lingeringly  they  rose  and  walked  back  to  the  tent 
together,  as  the  fires  of  the  camp  were  beginning  to 
sparkle  amongst  the  trees. 

That  same  night  Regina  woke  suddenly  between  the 
hour  of  midnight  and  dawn  and  sat  up  in  bed  with  a 
wild  fluttering  at  her  heart.  For  a  moment  the  bod- 
ily faintness,  the  whole  strange  series  of  physical  feel- 
ing, was  so  great,  she  was  not  conscious  of  anything 
else.  She  turned  to  Everest  for  help  and  then  saw 
she  was  alone.  The  bed  and  tent  were  alike  empty, 
brilliant  with  the  moonlight  that  poured  through  the 
canvas,  bright  as  day. 

Sick,  dizzy  and  confused  she  sat  up,  gasping. 
Then  a  great  joy  vibrated  suddenly  all  through  her. 
It  was  true  then.  She  felt  convinced  now  that  her 
unsubstantial  hopes  and  thoughts  were  verified.  A 
great  delight  filled  her,  the  scene  of  the  enchanted 
garden  rushed  back  upon  her  and  Everest's  words. 
Now  she  might  tell  him,  she  could  not  be  in  doubt  any 
longer. 

Where  was  he,  she  wondered.  All  the  faintness 
seemed  to  have  passed  again  as  suddenly  as  it  came, 
all  the  cloud  of  bodily  sensation  to  have  whirled  by. 
She  only  felt  a  great  sense  of  happiness,  an  eagerness 
to  share  it  with  him. 

She  rose  and  found  her  dressing-gown  and  a  pair  of 
shoes  and  crossed  the  tent,  all  filled  with  white  light, 
to  the  door,  pulled  aside  the  flap  and  looked  out.  It 
was  a  very  still  night,  the  palms  lifted  their  feathery 


THE  LIONS  OF  THE  DESERT       247 

tops  in  stately  majesty  against  the  glorious  purple 
of  the  star-filled  sky  without  a  quiver  of  the  lightest 
leaf,  their  shadows  lay  in  velvety  blackness  on  the 
silvered  golden  of  the  sand.  Not  a  sound  disturbed 
the  deep  silence;  the  air  came  to  her  light  and  pure 
and  cool.  Beyond  the  palm  grove,  far  out  into  the 
limitless  distance  she  could  see  the  desert  roll  like  a 
rippling  silver  sea  beneath  the  moon  rays. 

As  she  stood  there  something  moved,  a  shadow  fell 
on  the  sand  some  fifty  yards  away  from  the  tent  door 
and  then  she  saw  Everest's  figure  walking  slowly  as  if 
he  were  pacing  up  and  down.  Beyond  him  she  could 
see  the  closed  faces  of  two  other  tents,  they  were  those 
of  Sybil  and  her  brother.  In  an  instant  the  scene  of 
the  afternoon  and  its  whole  import  came  back  to  her, 
and  she  held  suddenly  the  canvas  edge  of  the  door 
in  her  cold  hand.  She  looked  at  the  moving  figure 
closely.  Up  and  down,  up  and  down  it  walked  and 
she  could  see  his  hands  were  clenched  sometimes  at  his 
sides  and  sometimes  one  hand  would  be  raised  and 
drawn  across  his  eyes  as  if  to  clear  away  some  pain- 
ful thought. 

Regina  turned  from  the  door  and  found  her  way 
back  trembling  to  the  bed.  She  could  not  tell  him 
now.  It  was  too  late.  What  a  bitter  irony  of  fate ! 
What  a  cruel  mockery  to  send  her  certainty  now, 
when  her  lips  were  closed  and  he  was  only  thinking  of 
and  desiring  another!  She  reached  the  bed  and  threw 
herself  upon  it  in  a  passion  of  bitter  tears.  All  their 
talk,  their  own  dear  intimate  conversations,  came 
back  upon  her  like  knives  cutting  into  her  brain. 
How  she  had  looked  forward  to  the  joy  it  would  give 
him!  How  she  had  dreamed  of  the  expression  that 


248       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

would  cross  his  beautiful  face!  How  she  had  cher- 
ished the  idea  of  this  pleasure  she  had  in  store  for 
him!  And  now,  how  could  she  tell?  It  would,  per- 
haps, be  no  pleasure,  it  would  bring  to  him  only  a 
sense  of  bondage,  a  feeling  that  he  was  bound.  Al- 
ready he  was  pacing  there,  tortured  by  thoughts  as 
pitiless  and  savage  as  the  desert  lions,  already  he  was 
torn  between  his  honour  and  his  desire.  Should  she 
add  to  his  burden?  —  carry  out  to  him  a  chain  and 
fetter  with  which  to  bind  his  feet  already  longing 
perhaps  to  go  from  her?  No,  a  hundred  times  no; 
not  now.  The  happy  secret,  the  joyous  hope  trans- 
formed into  bitter  pain,  she  would  lock  up  in  her  own 
breast  as  long  as  she  could. 

If  she  could  have  but  told  him  sooner!  If  she 
could  have  had  that  delight  in  London  before  they 
left,  or  on  board  that  magic  boat  he  had  fitted  up  for 
her!  The  intense  joy  of  it  then!  Would  it  have 
made  any  difference,  she  wondered.  No;  nothing, 
she  thought,  would  have  helped  her. 

Everest  did  not  come  back,  she  lay  in  the  silver 
light  of  the  tent  alone,  in  an  agony  of  grief  and  pain ; 
her  pillow  drenched  with  tears. 


CHAPTER  IX 

IN    THE    DARK    WATCHES 

THE  camp  was  in  a  state  of  excitement ;  the  natives  in 
a  whirl  of  breathless  jabber,  even  the  stolid  English- 
man slightly  fluttered.  Lion  had  been  seen  and  heard 
at  last  —  seen  with  the  naked  eye  and  heard  by  the 
fleshy  ear.  It  was  no  question  of  imagination,  nor  of 
rumour,  nor  of  excited  fancy  this  time.  It  was  true, 
genuine,  solid  fact.  A  small  party  of  the  native 
servants  had  been  out  reconnoitring  some  distance 
from  the  new  camp  into  which  they  had  just  moved, 
and  while  returning  at  sunset,  as  they  came  up  to  the 
brow  of  a  long  low  line  of  rocky  hills,  a  tawny  form 
had  been  seen  swinging  along  over  the  gilded  ripples 
of  the  sandy  plain  towards  them  and  somewhere  far 
on  the  left  of  them  had  disappeared  amongst  the  rock 
and  scrub. 

The  reconnoitring  band  had  hurried  back  to  camp, 
bursting  with  importance  and  triumph,  and  since 
their  arrival  with  the  news  the  whole  party  was  a-buzz 
and  astir  with  excitement. 

There  was  a  unanimous  wish  to  go  out  that  very 
night.  They  had  all  been  tantalised  and  irritated  so 
long  now  by  lion  stories  that  came  to  nothing,  and 
wearied  by  every  other  kind  of  shooting  than  that 
which  they  wanted  and  had  come  out  for,  that  they  all 

burned  with  the  same  enthusiasm  to  catch  the  chance 

Mfl 


250       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

now  it  had  come.  The  men  called  upon  Everest  to 
come  and  talk  matters  over  with  them  in  the  gun- 
room tent,  away  from  the  women,  and  he  went,  leav- 
ing Regina  cleaning  her  rifle  and  looking  over  her 
cartridge  belt  in  their  sleeping  tent.  Her  eyes  had 
sparkled  when  she  had  heard  the  news.  She  had  no 
wish  to  kill  a  lion  for  herself,  nor  acquire  as  an  in- 
different hearthrug  the  beautiful  golden  coat  that  fit- 
ted him  so  perfectly,  but  the  joy  of  going  side  by  side 
with  Everest  into  danger,  and  perhaps  being  of  serv- 
ice to  him,  of  even  possibly  saving  his  life,  seemed  to 
make  every  nerve  and  fibre  within  her  glow  like  hot 
steel. 

"  I  may  come  with  you,  mayn't  I  ?  "  she  had  asked, 
before  he  left  the  tent,  "  and  be  close  to  you  through 
it  all,  wherever  you  go,  whatever  you  do  ?  "  And  he 
had  bent  and  kissed  her. 

"  My  darling,  yes,  I  should  think  so.  You  have 
waited  a  long  time  for  this.  You  must  come  now  and 
show  what  you  can  do.  You  shall  have  the  first  shot 
if  you  like." 

"  Oh  no,  Everest,"  Regina  exclaimed.  "  I  want 
nothing  really.  I  would  not  for  worlds  take  your 
shot.  I  only  want  to  be  there  so  as  to  aid  you  or 
help  in  any  way  if  it  is  necessary.  Do  you  see?  I 
don't  want  to  kill  a  lion  except  in  self-defence  or  de- 
fence of  you." 

"  All  right,"  laughed  Everest  in  return,  greatly 
amused.  "  You  shall  come  to  protect  me.  Get 
ready  now  as  I  sha'n't  be  able  to  keep  these  fellows 
waiting."  And  he  had  gone  out. 

She  busied  herself  immediately  with  every  detail  of 
lier  dress,  boots  and  equipment,  her  pistol,  her  tiny; 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  251 

flask  of  brandy,  her  knife.  Nothing  was  forgotten. 
Her  courage  and  her  blood  rose  with  every  instant. 
There  was  only  one  thing  she  feared,  and  that  was 
any  accident  that  might  happen  to  Everest  which 
should  leave  him  maimed  or  disfigured.  If  he  were 
killed,  the  matter  was  simple.  She  would  instantly 
follow  him  by  means  of  her  pistol.  But  the  thought 
of  his  living  bereft  of  the  physical  beauty  and  power 
he  now  possessed  filled  her  with  horror.  She  would 
not  think  of  it,  however,  for  she  was  powerless.  She 
knew  Everest  wished  to  go  after  the  lion,  and  she 
could  not  deprive  him  of  a  danger  and  excitement, 
that  he  had  enjoyed  all  his  life,  on  account  of  her 
foolish  —  as  he  would  consider  them  —  fears.  No, 
she  would  face  everything  with  him  and  hope  for  the 
best,  that  was  all  she  could  do.  Of  herself  she  never 
once  thought.  In  addition  to  her  own  naturally 
courageous  nature,  she  had  that  added  indifference 
to  danger  which  we  all  feel  when  our  life  is  unhappy 
and  full  of  pain.  Hers  had  contained  so  much  slow 
corroding  suffering  lately  that  the  thought  of  risk- 
ing it  in  facing  some  active  danger  seemed  of  far  less 
moment  than  it  would  have  done  on  board  the  daha- 
beeyah  on  the  golden  Nile. 

Meanwhile  Everest  had  gone  round  to  the  gun  tent, 
and  the  first  thing  he  saw  as  he  entered  was  Sybil, 
seated  on  a  camp-stool  under  the  rows  of  feathered 
game,  surrounded  by  the  three  men,  who  were  looking 
down  upon  her  with  various  degrees  of  dismay  written 
on  their  countenances. 

She  was  white  to  the  lips  with  terror,  trembling  and 
clinging  to  the  sides  of  the  stool  with  both  hands  to 
steady  herself.  The  upshot  of  her  incoherent  talk 


was  that  she  was  too  frightened  to  go  with  them  and 
too  terrified  to  remain  alone  in  camp.  Like  most 
stupid,  unimaginative  people,  she  did  not  realise  or 
picture  a  danger  to  herself  until  it  was  actually  upon 
her,  and  when  she  had  heard  and  spoken  of  lion-hunt- 
ing no  very  definite  idea  beyond  that  of  the  discom- 
forts of  camp-life  had  presented  itself  to  her.  Now 
brought  suddenly  face  to  face  with  the  proposition  of 
going  out  to  meet  the  wild  beasts  or  being  shut  up 
alone  in  the  camp,  knowing  they  were  in  the  vicinity, 
she  lost  her  head  completely  and  seemed  beside  her- 
self with  terror. 

Shooting  harmless,  defenceless  things  that  could  not 
strike  back  had  seemed  pleasant  and  amusing  enough 
to  her  all  this  time;  when  it  came  to  considering  the 
teeth  and  claws  of  a  lion  the  whole  matter  had  a 
different  aspect. 

Having  just  left  Regina,  brilliant  and  enthusiastic 
in  her  courage  and  devotion,  when  Everest's  eyes  fell 
on  the  pitiable  object  his  cousin  looked,  shaking  on 
her  camp-stool,  a  throb  of  contempt  went  through 
him.  He  was  intrepid  coolness,  courage  and  dash 
himself  to  the  very  brim,  and  he  could  hardly  enter 
at  all  into  the  abject  cowardice  of  the  girl  before  him. 
Directly  she  saw  him  she  sprang  up  and  ran  to  him. 

"  Oh,  Everest,  you  will  stay  in  camp  with  me  and 
protect  me,  won't  you  ?  "  she  exclaimed,  and  the  con- 
trast between  the  two  women's  cries  struck  him  at 
the  moment  and  recurred  to  him  afterwards. 

Regina's  had  been  an  appeal  that  she  might  come 
into  danger  to  protect  him. 

"  What  nonsense  is  this,  Sybil  ?  "  he  answered  im- 
patiently. "  We've  been  waiting  all  this  time  for 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  253 

our  chance,  and  now  you  make  a  silly  fuss  about  it! 
Don't  you  want  to  come  with  us  after  all?  " 

"  Come  with  you  ?  "  stammered  the  girl,  while  her 
teeth  chattered.  "  No,  no,  no,  I  couldn't." 

"  Well,  then,  you  can  stay  at  home,"  he  returned 
curtly. 

"  That's  what  I've  been  telling  her,"  interrupted 
Merton,  "  and  she  wants  one  of  us  to  stay,  too.  I'll 
be  hanged  if  I'm  going  to  now  after  the  rotten  time 
we've  had  so  far." 

Sybil  sank  again  on  her  camp-stool.  Literally  she 
could  not  stand  up,  her  knees  were  knocking  together, 
her  limbs  crumpling  up  beneath  her.  She  was  cold 
with  fear. 

"  Well,  why  can't  the  two  women  stay  and  look 
after  each  other?  "  asked  St  John,  who  was  standing, 
his  feet  apart,  his  hands  deep  in  the  pockets  of  his 
Norfolk  jacket,  staring  at  the  little  figure  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  tent.  "  We'll  get  on  heaps  better  without 
them ;  responsibility,  you  know,  having  women  about." 

"Regina!  What  good  would  she  be?"  answered 
Sybil. 

"  Regina  would  be  as  good  as  any  of  us,"  returned 
the  doctor  rather  fiercely.  "  She's  a  better  shot  than 
any  one  of  us,  bar  Lanark,  and  she's  no  fear  of  any- 
thing —  she's  Courage  itself." 

Sybil  was  too  terrified  to  heed  or  care  for  the  ob- 
vious comparison. 

*'  You  seem  rather  to  forget,  gentlemen,"  remarked 
Everest  coldly,  "  that  this  whole  camp  and  expedition 
was  organised  by  me  solely  for  Regina ;  and  the  first 
shot  at  lion  really  belongs  to  her.  Our  guests  joined 
us  afterwards  as  —  er  —  an  afterthought." 


This  silenced  the  guests.  St  John  flung  himself 
down  on  another  camp-stool  and  began  to  clean  his 
gun,  muttering  to  himself  it  was  always  like  this 
when  you  had  women  about.  Merton  looked  as  if 
he  could  have  strangled  his  sister,  the  doctor  turned  to 
a  hanging  flamingo  and  fingered  his  rosy  wing  in  si- 
lence. 

"  That's  quite  right,  Everest,  you're  the  boss  of 
this  show,"  Merton  said,  after  a  second.  "  You  ar- 
range the  thing  any  way  you  like." 

"  Why  won't  you  stay  with  me  ?  "  pleaded  Sybil, 
looking  up  at  Everest. 

"  Because  I  don't  choose  to,"  he  returned,  almost 
brutally  for  him,  so  great  was  the  contrast  to  his 
usual  voice  and  manner.  "  You  are  making  yourself 
absolutely  ridiculous.  I  will  ask  Regina  to  stay  with 
you  to  take  care  of  you,  but  if  she  refuses  you'll  have 
to  stay  alone." 

He  turned  to  the  others. 

"  I'll  go  over  and  ask  her  and  then  come  back  to 
you  and  we  can  fix  up  our  plans.  I  think  if  we  could 
ride  out  to  the  ridge  to-night  in  the  cool,  and  be 
round  those  water-holes  just  after  dawn,  that's  about 
the  best  we  can  do." 

"  Right !  Anything  you  say,  Everest,"  Merton 
responded,  and  the  others  grunted  assent. 

"  Come,  Sybil,  you'd  better  go  back  to  the  dining 
tent  and  wait  for  me  there  till  I've  seen  Regina," 
Everest  said  peremptorily,  and  they  went  out  of  the 
tent  together. 

"  Splendid,  plucky  girl  that  other,  you  know," 
remarked  the  doctor.  "  I  think  it  will  be  a  beastly 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  255 

shame  if  Lanark  makes  her  stop  in  camp  to  look  after 
your  precious  sister." 

"  Don't  talk  to  me,"  growled  Merton.  "  I'm  sav- 
age enough  with  her;  she  wants  a  good  shaking,  up- 
setting things  like  this." 

"  Everest,  you're  angry  with  me,"  faltered  Sybil, 
as  they  got  outside.  "  I  can't  help  being  frightened 
—  can  —  can  I?  " 

"  Not  altogether,  I  suppose,"  returned  Everest 
contemptuously.  "  But  you  can  help  making  a  fuss 
about  it.  You  could  stay  quietly  in  camp  and  not 
bother  anybody  else  if  you  chose." 

"  I  should  have  thought  you  would  have  liked  to 
stay  with  me,"  she  murmured  plaintively,  slipping  her 
tiny  hand  through  his  arm.  "  If  they  all  go,  and 
Regina  too,  we  should  be  in  the  camp  all  night  — 

together  —  alone  —  we  could Oh,  Everest,  do ; 

won't  you?  " 

They  were  passing  under  the  few  palms  that  inter- 
vened between  the  gun  tent  and  the  dining  tent.  The 
moon  was  rising,  but  not  yet  very  strong.  His  face 
was  in  the  shadow  and  darkness.  She  could  not  see 
it,  but  she  felt  him  let  his  arm  fall  so  that  her  hand 
had  no  longer  a  resting-place,  and  noticed  he  moved 
from  her. 

"  I  do  not  think  that  Regina  would  go  except  with 
me  or  for  me,"  he  merely  answered,  but  a  great  wave 
of  passion  for  the  woman  he  had  named  rose  in  him  as 
he  thought  of  that  tender,  eager,  devoted  nature  long- 
ing to  face  death  and  danger  for  his  sake. 

Sybil  felt  silenced.  She  knew  she  had  injured  her- 
self in  his  eyes  by  her  fears,  but  it  was  no  use  her  pre- 


256       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

tending  to  be  brave ;  she  was  white  and  cold  with  fear. 
She  did  not  know  what  to  say.  She  felt  he  was  angry 
with  her,  and  she  was  almost  as  much  afraid  of  him 
as  she  was  of  his  lions. 

Everest  did  not  speak  again  till  they  reached  the 
dining  tent,  in  which  he  found  her  a  chair,  and  then 
went  on  to  Regina.  He  felt  his  whole  being  ablaze 
and  aflame  with  love  for  her.  Suddenly  he  hated 
himself  for  his  conduct,  and  a  resolve  sprang  into  life 
that  as  soon  as  possible  he  would  break  up  the  present 
arrangement  and  go  away  alone,  alone  with  her.  .  .  . 
He  was  at  her  tent  door  and  entered. 

Regina  sprang  up.  "  Are  we  to  start  now  ?  "  she 
exclaimed  joyously.  She  was  quite  ready,  and  looked 
gloriously  handsome  and  vital  and  full  of  mettle,  like 
a  racer  at  the  start,  as  she  stood  in  the  centre  of  the 
tent,  flushed  and  smiling  and  animated,  awaiting  his 
commands.  Everest  went  straight  up  to  her  and 
without  a  word  caught  her  to  him  in  one  of  those  mad, 
passionate  embraces  she  loved  from  him  and  never 
wearied  of  and  never  found  too  violent. 

"  Dearest,  dearest,  dearest !  "  she  murmured,  kiss- 
ing him  back  as  soon  as  he  would  let  her.  Whatever 
he  had  done,  was  doing,  or  desiring,  however  he  had 
sinned  or  was  sinning  against  her,  Jie  wanted  her  kiss 
now  and  she  was  powerless  to  do  anything  but  give  it. 

He  set  her  free  after  a  moment  and  stood  looking 
at  her. 

"  Darling,  I  am  so  sorry,  I  have  got  to  ask  you 
something  I  hate.  Will  you  do  it  for  me  ?  " 

Regina's  reply  was  instant. 

"  Of  course,  you  know  you  have  only  to  tell  me 
your  wishes." 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  857 

"  I  am  so  sorry,  so  angry,  so  vexed,  you  have  no 
idea,  but  will  you  stay  in  camp  to-night  and  give  up 
this  expedition?  " 

Regina's  face  suddenly  grew  white  and  grave ;  the 
joyous  flush  vanished. 

"  You  yourself  going  without  me?  " 

"  I  and  the  other  men,  yes." 

Regina  fell  on  her  knees  before  him  and  stretched 
out  her  arms. 

"  Everest !  If  you  only  knew  what  it  means  to  me, 
to  let  you  go  into  danger  without  me,  you  would  not 
ask  me.  If  anything  should  happen  to  you,  I  do  so 
want  to  be  with  you.  Won't  you  let  me  come  ?  " 

Her  voice,  in  which  her  whole  ardent  nature,  her 
great  and  overwhelming  love  for  him  revealed  them- 
selves in  wonderful  music  of  tone,  made  Everest's 
eyes  suddenly  swim  and  the  image  of  her  kneeling  at 
his  feet  swayed  mistily  before  him.  He  took  both 
her  arms  and  gently  raised  her. 

"  Dear  one,  listen.  I  know  all  you  feel  and  I  ap- 
preciate it  so  much,  but  there  is  no  danger,  or  very 
little,  for  you  to  worry  about.  I  know  you  want  to 
share  what  there  is  and  I  want  you  with  me,  but  in 
this  case  you  can  serve  me  so  much  better,  if  you  will, 
by  remaining  here.  After  this  we  will  break  up  the 
arrangement  and  you  and  I  will  go  and  hunt  some- 
where together  alone,  where  we  can  do  as  we  please." 

"  Why  do  you  want  me  to  stay  ?  "  she  asked,  look- 
ing up  at  him. 

The  red  of  angry  savage  annoyance  surged  all 
over  his  face. 

"  This  girl  Sybil  has  been  making  a  scene  and  say- 
ing she  cannot  be  left  alone  in  camp,  and  of  course^ 


258       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

in  a  way,  we  are  responsible  for  her.  I  can't  order 
any  of  the  others  to  stay  with  her,  and  it's  hardly 
well  to  leave  her  by  herself,  she  might  do  any  foolish 
thing.  She  is  simply  in  a  state  of  nervous  terror. 
So  I  am  asking  you  to  stay  and  look  after  her." 

Regina  paled  with  resentment.  She  did  not  know 
how  utterly  and  entirely  Everest  revolted  now  from 
the  girl  whose  physical  beauty  had  for  a  time  so  en- 
snared and  delighted  his  senses.  She  did  not  know 
how  strongly  he  was  drawn  to  herself  and  how  com- 
pletely the  whole  influence  of  the  other  had  faded 
from  his  body  and  his  mind.  She  had  no  clue  as  to 
the  gradual  weakening  of  this  influence  for  some  time 
past  and  the  growing  indifference  on  Everest's  part 
which  now  had  suddenly  changed  into  contempt  and 
revolt.  He  had  been  very  silent  about  Sybil,  after 
the  manner  of  men,  and  had  tried  to  show  Regina  by 
acts  rather  than  in  words  that  the  matter,  as  far  as  he 
was  concerned,  was  at  an  end.  But  as  he  stood  to 
Sybil  as  host,  and  as  she  put  out  all  her  powers  to 
keep  him  by  her  side,  it  was  difficult  for  Regina  to 
gain  a  just  idea  of  the  truth.  Had  Everest  been  of  a 
more  brutal  and  less  refined  type  of  sensualist  he 
could  have  explained  to  Regina  in  a  few  short,  out- 
spoken sentences  the  fact  that  all  and  more  than  he 
wanted  had  been  pressed  upon  him,  and  that  he  was 
now  weary  and  annoyed  with  the  girl  and  everything 
connected  with  her.  But  he  revolted  from  any  be- 
trayal of  a  woman  who,  however  selfishly,  had  loved 
him.  He  felt  it  a  matter  of  honour  to  be  absolutely 
silent  about  her.  And  in  this  way  Regina  had  to  be 
left  to  misunderstand  and  to  suffer. 

So  now  that  he  appealed  to  her  to  stay  in  camp  it 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  259 

only  seemed  to  her  that  she  was  appointed  as  guard- 
ian to  the  jewel  he  wished  kept  in  safety,  and  her 
happiness,  desire  and  pleasure  was  to  be  again  sac- 
rificed to  this  girl  as  it  had  been  now  for  so  long. 

She  was  so  bitterly  angry ;  the  rage  and  tumult  of 
her  jealous  passion  and  indignation  was  such  within 
her,  that  she  could  have  turned  upon  Everest  then  and 
poured  out  a  flood  of  burning  reproach  like  a  torrent 
of  molten  metal  upon  him. 

But  her  self-control  was  perfect,  her  empire  over 
self  complete.  She  knew,  with  a  man  like  this,  vio- 
lence, coercion  was  useless.  And  that  moment  of  all 
others  was  not  the  one  for  recrimination  or  reproach. 

She  was  white  to  the  lips  as  she  looked  at  him,  but 
she  said  simply: 

"  I  am  to  give  up  coming  with  you  in  order  to  take 
care  of  Sybil.  Is  that  it?  " 

"  That  is  the  letter  of  it,  the  spirit  is  that  you  stay 
behind  in  camp  because  I  have  wished  you  to  do 
so." 

Unconsciously  his  tone  was  cold  and  commanding. 
He  felt  the  intense  vibration  of  resentment  and  indig- 
nation that  went  through  her  as  plainly  as  if  an  as- 
sagai was  shaken  before  his  face,  and  he  was  enraged 
at  the  whole  situation.  For  a  second  they  both 
looked  at  each  other  in  silence,  and,  as  so  often  be- 
fore, the  girl  felt  that,  if  he  chose,  he  had  every  right 
to  command.  To  a  man  of  inferior  physical  aspect, 
to  one  who  had  less  influence  on  her  senses,  she  could 
not  in  that  moment  of  intense  disappointment,  of  re- 
volt and  outraged  feeling,  have  submitted.  As  it 
was,  after  that  moment  of  silent  rebellion,  she  laid 
down  her  rifle  and  turned  away. 


260       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

"  There  is  no  more  to  be  said  then :  I  will  stay,"  she 
answered,  in  a  low  ten? 

Everest's  face  softened,  lie  followed  her  and  put 
his  arm  round  ner  neck. 

"  Dear  little  girl,  you  think  me  a  brute,  don't  you  ? 
I  will  give  up  the  expedition  myself  and  stay  with 
you.  Do  you  wish  me  to  do  that  ?  " 

Regina  looked  up  at  him,  her  eyes  were  full  of  hot 
blinding  tears. 

"  I  shall  be  in  an  agony  of  suspense  till  you  come 
back  safely,"  she  returned ;  "  but  I  can't  ask  you  to 
stay,  I  know  how  you  would  hate  it  —  the  other  men 
thinking  you  perhaps  wanted  to  get  out  of  it  and  all 
that,  or  else  that  you  had  no  will  of  your  own  and 
I  had  made  you  stay.  As  host  and  leader  you  can't 
well  stay  behind  —  you  would  feel  it  so." 

The  male  nature  in  Regina  made  it  easy  for  her  to 
understand  how  hateful,  nearly  impossible,  it  would 
have  been  for  Everest  to  stay  in  camp  with  the  women 
while  the  rest  of  the  party  went  out  to  the  excitement 
of  the  hunt.  The  intense  disappointment  she  suf- 
fered herself  in  foregoing  this,  the  first  really  impor- 
tant, expedition  with  him,  for  which  she  had  trained 
herself  so  patiently,  made  it  easy  to  realise  what  his 
would  be  in  missing  the  first  opportunity  for  which 
they  had  all  waited  so  long. 

She  turned  and  kissed  his  hand  on  her  shoulder. 

"  Go,  my  dearest,  as  you  wish ;  only  come  back  to 
me  safely." 

When  Everest  left  her  and  went  back  to  the  impa- 
tient men  in  the  tent,  his  whole  heart  and  soul  seemed 
on  fire  with  passion  for  her.  He  just  looked  into  the 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  261 

dining  tent  as  he  passed,  where  Sybil  was  sitting 
quivering  and  pallid  in  her  chair. 

"  You  have  got  your  way,"  he  said  curtly.  "  Re- 
gina  has  given  up  her  own  wishes  to  stay  and  look 
after  you,  but  if  this  sort  of  thing  is  going  to  con- 
tinue, the  sooner  you  go  home,  I  should  think,  the 
better.  It  is  simple  nonsense  to  join  a  hunt  and  then 
try  and  spoil  the  sport." 

He  felt  so  angry  with  her,  she  had  spoiled  the 
whole  thing  and  prevented  his  having  Regina  with 
him,  which  he  had  really  looked  forward  to.  Above 
all,  he  was  repelled  by  her  weakness  and  cowardice. 
His  passion  leapt  up  for  a  woman  who  was  courage- 
ous and  fearless.  There  was  something  in  himself 
that  responded  instantly  to  any  heroic  act  or  quality, 
and  for  the  weak  and  timid  he  had  nothing  but  a 
sense  of  aversion.  Sybil  was  too  cowed  and  too 
wretched  altogether  to  reply.  She  could  not  find  her 
voice  and  Everest  went  on  his  way  to  the  gun  tent. 

"  Hurray !  "  they  shouted,  as  they  saw  him.  "  We 
thought  you  were  never  coming  back.  Well,  what's 
the  news  ?  " 

"  Regina  will  stay,"  Everest  answered  quietly. 

"  She  is  a  brick.  You  ought  to  have  stayed,  Mer- 
ton,  and  let  her  come  with  us." 

Merton  only  grinned  and  went  on  counting  his 
cartridges. 

Regina,  left  alone  in  her  tent,  sat  down  and  pressed 
both  her  clasped  hands  on  her  knees.  She  was  think- 
ing of  her  love  for  Everest  and  how  absolutely  it 
made  her  his  slave.  She  recalled  the  image  of  him 
as  he  had  stood  there  a  few  seconds  back,  practically 


262       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

commanding  her  to  stay  in  the  camp,  and  realised  how 
impossible  it  was  for  her  to  rebel  against  him  as  it 
would  be  impossible  for  her  to  refuse  or  deny  him  any- 
thing, as  in  fact  it  had  always  been  from  the  first.  And 
she  was  inclined  to  resent  this  taking  away  of  her  will- 
power and  this  feeling  that  it  was  beneath  another's 
feet,  but  she  was  foolish  to  do  so,  for  in  the  heart  of 
worship  of  another  is  found  the  extreme  of  passion- 
ate pleasure.  Above  all  she  was  fortunate,  and  this 
she  did  really  feel  grateful  for,  that  the  empire  over 
her  was  in  such  hands  as  his.  Everest  was  not  a 
commonplace  nor  an  ordinary  individual.  She  had 
not  that  intensely  painful  humiliation  of  being  con- 
quered by  an  inferior.  All  her  sense  of  wounded 
self-love  and  pride  was  tempered  by  her  intense  ad- 
miration of  him;  physically  and  mentally  in  every 
way  he  was  worthy  to  command  others  and  exact  their 
obedience.  Passion,  the  slave-driver,  had  at  least 
made  her  over  to  a  noble  owner. 

Immoral  he  might  be  called,  but  she  would  not  say 
so,  it  did  not  seem  to  her  the  right  word.  She  knew 
that  almost  nowhere,  neither  in  the  pages  of  history 
nor  in  the  world,  are  there  men  to  be  found  of  great 
physical  strength  and  energy  combined  with  power- 
ful mental  equipment  who  have  joined  to  them  a  rigid 
morality.  That  a  vigorous  and  active  male  animal 
shall  acquire  all  the  unattached  females  in  his  vicin- 
ity is  one  of  Nature's  most  general  and  fundamental 
laws,  and  Regina  knew  it,  and  that  is  why  she  had 
resisted  and  resented,  as  far  as  she  had  been  able,  the 
vicinity  of  camp-life  that  threw  Sybil  into  constant 
contact  with  him. 

And  though  he  made  her  suffer  frightfully  for  lu# 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  263 

own  gratification,  she  did  not  blame  him  so  blindly  as 
another  woman  might  have  done,  because  she  realised 
it  was  Nature's  fault  more  than  his  —  Nature  who 
will  not  give  that  gift  of  intense  vitality  to  a  maa 
without  its  accompanying  dangers. 

That  vitality  Regina  loved  and  desired  for  her 
child.  How  she  longed  now  to  tell  him  he  was  the 
father  of  the  little  life  that  was  forming  within  her! 
It  was  such  a  supreme  happiness  to  her  to  know  that 
she  was  bearing  his  child,  something  that  would  be 
perhaps  the  beautiful  tiny  image  of  himself.  It 
would  be  a  delight  intensified  if  he  knew  it  too.  Per- 
haps, if  she  delayed,  the  pleasure  of  ever  saying  those 
happy  words  would  be  denied  to  her.  Perhaps  this 
very  night  he  would  be  taken  away  from  her,  and  then 
he  would  not  ever  have  known  that  which  once  at 
least  he  had  told  her  he  desired  so  much. 

She  sprang  to  her  feet,  it  was  such  a  temptation 
to  speak,  to  tell  him,  before  he  left  this  evening! 
But  out  of  pure  unselfishness  she  hesitated.  If  in  re- 
ality he  wished  now  after  all  to  abandon  her,  to  put 
his  cousin  in  her  place,  she  must,  must,  must  leave 
him,  as  ever,  free  to  do  so,  though  it  killed  her. 

He  might  already  consider  himself  in  honour  bound 
to  marry  her,  of  that  she  could  not  be  quite  sure,  but 
she  was  certain  that  he  would  feel  bound  if  she  told 
him  she  was  to  be  the  mother  of  his  child. 

No,  she  would  wait  still  and  be  silent.  Fate  would 
perhaps  reveal  to  her  in  some  way,  soon,  the  truth  of 
things  and  how  she  ought  to  act. 

She  dismissed  personal  thought  from  her  mind  and 
began  to  gather  some  things  together  to  take  over  to 
Sybil's  tent.  For,  from  the  first,  she  had  strenuously 


264        THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

opposed  the  girl  entering  hers.  This  was  the  sanctu- 
ary of  her  and  Everest's  love.  She  would  not  have 
anyone  to  intrude  there.  The  whole  of  the  camp  was 
public.  She  wanted  one  place  at  least  where  she 
could  be  secure  of  privacy.  She  had  made  a  great 
point  of  this  with  Everest,  and  he  had  given  absolute 
and  stringent  orders  that  neither  Sybil  nor  anyone 
else  was  to  disturb  Mrs.  Lanark  in  her  tent.  And 
Regina  was  grateful.  She  felt  she  could  not  tolerate 
the  hateful  presence  of  Sybil  there.  Everest  was 
wonderfully  good  in  matters  like  that,  where  so  many 
men  fail.  If  Regina  expressed  a  wish,  however  lit- 
tle of  importance  it  might  seem  to  him,  he  exerted 
himself  to  have  it  carried  out.  He  never  pooh- 
poohed  or  waved  away  her  request.  If  she  wished  it, 
that  was  sufficient.  That  same  obedience  he  ex- 
pected from  her,  he  exacted  from  everybody  else  to 
the  orders  he  gave  for  her  sake.  Regina  was  very 
grateful  to  him  for  this.  It  gave  her  a  position  in 
the  camp  that  was  very  pleasant,  and  she  knew  intui- 
tively that  it  was  a  rare  quality  in  men.  The  small 
daily  wishes  of  wives  are  generally,  as  in  her  father's 
case,  politely  but  steadily  ignored. 

She  cleared  up  the  tent,  and  it  was  from  Sybil's 
door,  some  two  hours  later,  that  both  the  girls  saw 
the  hunting  party  start,  a  small  procession  of  camels, 
headed  by  the  native  guides,  scouts  and  servants  with 
all  the  necessary  guns,  ammunition,  knives,  flasks, 
water-bottles,  flash-lamps,  food-baskets,  and  all  the 
rest  of  the  necessaries  for  luxurious  hunting. 

Everest,  having  the  arranging  and  planning  of 
everything,  mounted  and  started  last  and  had  moved 
a  few  paces  already  from  the  camp,  the  others  being 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  265 

a  little  on  ahead,  when  he  paused  and,  drawing  up  the 
camel,  told  it  to  kneel  down  again,  which  it  immedi- 
ately did,  for  the  tone  of  his  caressing  voice  had  the 
effect  of  reducing  every  camel  he  mounted  to  docility. 

He  never  carried  a  whip  or  a  goad,  nor  had  the  rein 
fastened  in  the  nostril  of  the  camel,  relying  entirely 
on  his  voice  and  magnetic  influence  over  them  to 
guide  them.  Nor  had  he  ever  struck  an  animal  in  his 
life.  He  used  to  say:  "A  man  must  be  a  fool  if  he 
can't  manage  an  animal  by  his  intellect,"  and  it  was 
a  fact  that  they  never  disobeyed  him. 

Now  Regina,  watching  him  from  the  tent  door, 
with  tear-filled  eyes,  admired  the  easy  skill  with  which 
he  handled  his  camel  and  dismounted.  She  thought 
he  had  forgotten  something  and  went  forward  to  him. 
But  Everest  had  only  turned  back  for  her.  He 
clasped  her  to  him  and  kissed  her. 

"My  dear,  good  little  empress,"  he  whispered  in 
her  ear,  as  he  bent  over  her,  and  Regina  felt  that  he 
was  pleased  with  her  and  her  own  heart  grew  hot 
with  delight.  She  threw  her  arms  round  him  with 
passionate  fervour. 

"My  emperor!  You  know  I  would  die  for  you," 
she  murmured  back. 

Another  moment  and  he  had  swung  himself  on  to 
the  saddle-cloth  and  the  camel  rose,  to  recommence 
its  stately  march.  The  moon  was  now  high,  and  its 
light,  clear  and  silver,  flooded  all  the  plain  and  illu- 
mined the  string  of  moving  objects.  One  of  the  men 
looked  back  and  saw  the  incident. 

"What's  up?"  asked  St.  John,  who  was  close  be- 
side him.  "Anything  gone  wrong?" 

"Oh  no,  it's  only  Everest  spooning  as  usual." 


266       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

"  Which  one  is  it  this  time  ?  "  asked  the  doctor 
grimly,  looking  straight  ahead  of  him. 

"  His  wife,  as  it  happens." 

There  was  silence  for  a  moment  and  then  Graham 
said: 

"  But  he's  an  awfully  nice  fellow.  I  don't  wonder 
at  the  women  all  running  after  him,  I  should  be  in 
love  with  him  myself  if  I  were  one.  He's  a  marvel- 
lous person  really.  I  don't  believe  he's  ever  lost  his 
temper  in  his  life,  he's  such  tremendous  command  of 
himself.  Animals  are  just  as  crazy  about  him  as 
women.  I  saw  him  managing  a  horse,  a  vicious  brute 
that  no  one  else  could  get  near.  Everest  was  riding 
it  and  it  began  its  tricks,  it  did  everything  to  make 
a  man  in  a  rage,  but  Everest  never  turned  a  hair. 
He  kept  his  seat  just  as  if  he'd  been  in  an  arm-chair, 
and  talked  to  the  animal  the  whole  time  and,  by  Jove ! 
the  horse  seemed  to  understand  him,  he  settled  down 
and  was  as  quiet  and  good  as  anything.  Everest 
had  never  touched  him  once,  except  to  stroke  his  neck ; 
he'd  no  whip,  no  spurs,  nothing.  I  expect  that's  how 
he  manages  his  women,  makes  them  do  all  he  wants 
without  a  disagreeable  word." 

"  Easy  enough,"  mumbled  the  doctor,  "  when  a 
man's  so  beastly  good-looking." 

Everest  had  just  caught  up  with  them,  so  they 
lapsed  into  silence,  and  the  camels  all  sidled  together 
and  swung  forward  steadily  into  the  silver  silence  of 
the  desert  night. 

Regina,  left  behind,  stood  watching  them  diminish 
and  diminish  into  distance  with  the  blood  racing 
madly  in  her  veins  and  all  her  brain  alight  with  anger. 
She  did  so  long  and  yearn  to  be  there,  up  beside  him 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  267 

on  the  saddle-blanket,  on  the  camel,  swinging,  sway- 
ing out  into  wide  space,  beneath  that  glorious,  star- 
filled,  infinitely  arching  sky.  She  loved  being  with 
him  anywhere,  and  most  of  all  riding,  and  on  a  camel. 

The  free,  giant  motion  of  the  animal,  the  sense  of 
strength  and  ease  with  which  its  great  stride  goes 
forward,  bearing  its  burden  high  above  the  dust  and 
impediments  of  the  earth,  sets  the  blood  glowing  and 
the  pulses  dancing,  and  she  loved  it.  Here  and  now 
to  part  with  him,  to  see  him  going  to  adventure,  dan- 
ger, risk  she  might  not  share,  to  be  condemned  to  the 
hot,  silent  tent,  to  sit  inactive  there  when  all  her 
eager,  ardent  frame  was  calling  out  for  deeds,  move- 
ment, action,  hurt  cruelly.  Her  brain  was  seething 
in  fury  and  rebellion  as  she  turned  her  steps  slowly 
back  to  Sybil's  tent. 

"  Come  in  and  shut  the  door,  do,"  came  the  tatter's 
voice  from  within,  peevish  with  fear.  "  I  feel  so 
frightened.  I  think  they  were  brutes  to  go  and  leave 
us  alone." 

"  I  can't  see  what  there  is  to  be  afraid  of,"  re- 
turned Regina  coldly,  entering  and  letting  down  the 
tent  flap. 

Of  another  nature  altogether,  she  had  no  fear  of 
solitude,  nor  of  the  desert.  She  would  have  lain  down 
anywhere  on  the  sand,  her  hand  on  her  rifle,  her  pis- 
tol in  her  belt,  and  slept  like  an  English  child  in  its 
cot  at  home. 

"  They  are  rather  brutes,  but  they  can't  help  it," 
she  added  absently,  and  sat  down  on  a  folding  camp- 
stool,  watching  the  other  girl  begin  to  undress. 

The  tent  interior  looked  cosy  enough,  bright  with 
red  rugs  on  its  sandy  floor  and  a  gilt-framed  mirror 


268       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

swinging  between  the  two  narrow  beds — for  a  second 
one  had  been  put  in  for  herself,  as  Sybil  could  not 
bear  to  be  alone  if  Graham  was  no  longer  in  the  tent 
beside  her. 

"What  are  you  afraid  of  specially?" 

"Why,  all  these  lions  about !" 

Regina  laughed  contemptuously. 

"All  these  lions  about!  You  talk  as  if  we  had 
been  falling  over  lions  and  unable  to  get  into  our  tent 
door  for  them!"  she  exclaimed.  "As  a  fact,  we've 
been  here  nearly  two  months  and  not  seen  one !" 

"Yes ;  but  that  was  in  another  camp.  I  do  believe 
we've  got  into  the  districts  now  where  they  are. 
Regina,"  she  added  suddenly,  "what  does  'Hina'  in 
Arabic  mean?" 

"  'Hina'  means  'here.'  " 

"I  thought  so;  and  'henak,'  what  does  that 
mean  ?" 

"  'Henak'  means  'there,'  *over  there,'  'at  a  dis- 
tance.' " 

"Well,  that's  just  what  I  thought.  Now  I'll  tell 
you  what  I  heard  those  servants  saying.  They  were 
talking  about  lions,  because  I  know  that  word,  and 
then  one  said:  'La,  la  mush  henak,  lekin  hina,  hina.' 
Now  doesn't  that  mean:  'No,  no,  it's  not  over  there 
but  here,  here'?  And  he  got  quite  excited,  and 
pointed  just  round  the  camp." 

Regina  looked  grave. 

"Why  did  you  not  tell  the  men?"  she  asked. 

"I  did,  I  kept  telling  them  about  it,  but  nobody 
would  listen  to  me.  Merton  did  ask  the  man  some- 
thing about  it,  but  the  others  all  swore  the  lions  were 
over  the  ridge.  You  know  how  they  jabber  and  how 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  269 

they  contradict  themselves  and  each  other.  My  idea 
is,  these  horrid  beasts  are  all  round  us,"  and  she  shiv- 
ered. The  light  from  the  centre  lamp  fell  on  the  fair, 
flower-like  beauty  of  the  girl,  and  as  she  let  down  the 
gold  river  of  her  hair  the  blood  of  her  companion 
watching  her  seemed  to  turn  into  flame.  She  felt  she 
would  like  to  spring  upon  her  and  kill  her,  like  the 
lions  she  was  talking  about. 

"Well,  if  it's  true,  I  am  rather  glad,"  she  returned. 
"I'd  much  rather  they  would  come  and  eat  us  up 
than  Everest." 

"Regina!     How  can  you!     You  don't  mean  it!" 

"Of  course  I  mean  it,"  she  flashed  out,  with  ex- 
treme passion  in  her  tones,  "to  be  here  and  know  he  is 
in  danger,  that's  the  worst  agony  I  can  have.  I 
would  give  up  my  life  for  him  any  time." 

"How  wonderful!"  returned  Sybil,  drawing  off 
her  shoes.  "I  couldn't  care  for  a  man  like  that." 

"No,  I  don't  suppose  you  could." 

"Good-night,  I  shall  try  to  go  off  to  sleep  and 
forget  I  am  in  this  horrible  place.  How  you  stare, 
Regina!  What's  the  matter?  Won't  you  go  to 
bed?" 

"No;  I  shall  sit  up  for  a  time.  Go  to  sleep  in 
peace.  You  are  quite  safe." 

Sybil  lay  down  on  her  bed,  only  drawing  the  rug 
partly  over  her.  She  had  a  loose  thin  flannel  gown 
fastened  round  her  waist  and  open  a  little  at  her  neck 
in  the  hot  night.  It  was  very  still  within  the  tent, 
and  without  there  was  not  a  sound  as  the  moonlit 
hours  went  by. 

Regina  sat  like  a  statue,  her  elbow  on  her  knee, 
ner  chin  on  her  hand,  watching  the  sleeping  girl. 


270       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

What  mad,  passionate  thoughts  came  to  her  in 
their  dark  battalions  and  assailed  her! 

How  beautiful  it  was,  that  delicate,  ivory  face,  so 
exquisitely  carved,  as  it  lay  against  the  white  canvas 
pillow.  It  was  no  wonder  that  a  man  should  covet  it 
for  his  own,  especially  a  man  like  Everest,  with  his 
artistic  eye  for  perfect  lines.  He  had  always  ad- 
mired it  enough  to  make  him  keep  with  him  every- 
where the  blue  velvet  portrait-case  he  had  had  in  his 
rooms  at  the  Rectory.  His  sister  had  said  that  but 
for  Regina  he  would  have  married  her.  But  it  was 
not  true  —  Regina  felt  it  was  not  true,  that  she  never 
could  have  satisfied  him  —  kept  him  —  but  yet,  per- 
haps, beauty  and  name  and  breeding  in  his  wife  would 
have  been  enough,  and  for  the  rest,  of  all  that  is  di- 
vine in  humanity  —  passion  and  love  and  character 
—  he  would  have  sought  in  other  women  .  .  .  she  did 
not  know,  her  thoughts  could  only  whirl  round  in 
dizzy,  empty  circles,  outside  the  barrier  of  his  im- 
placable silence,  as  falling  leaves  might  beat  and  whirl 
round  a  fortress  wall.  She  knew  nothing,  and  in  the 
obscurity  of  another's  feelings  and  passions  there  is 
no  firm  ground  to  stand  on. 

"  It  is  not  his  fault,  nor  hers,"  she  thought ;  "  but 
oh!  Fate!  take  her  away  from  here,  leave  him  to  me 
again." 

In  the  silence  stirred  a  tiny  sound,  she  heard  it, 
and  then,  instantly,  quicker  than  thought  itself,  the 
tent  flap  moved  and  a  long  yellow  streak  flashed  by 
her  and  was  upon  the  bed  before  her  eyes. 

One  frightful  shriek  rang  out,  then  the  yellow  flash 
passed  by  and  was  gone  into  the  night,  and  the  bed 
was  empty  where  the  golden  beauty  of  the  girl  had 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  271 

been.  Regina  had  sprung  to  her  feet,  but  the  lion 
had  apparently  not  even  seen  her. 

Almost  like  lightning,  with  a  rapidity  that  no  one 
can  believe  until  he  has  seen  it,  the  great  beast  had 
entered,  seized  its  prey  and  gone. 

For  a  second,  Regina  stood  motionless.  The 
blinding  realisation  came  upon  her  that  she  stood 
alone  in  the  tent  and  that  her  rival  was  gone  from  her 
to  a  certain  death.  Her  invocation  had  been  heard. 

In  that  moment  a  view  of  her  future  came  to  her. 
She  would  be  his,  alone  with  him  again,  safe,  secure, 
protected,  loved,  herself  and  her  child.  And  all  that 
was  required  of  her  was  to  do  nothing.  No  one  could 
blame  her.  Fate  had  come  to  her  aid.  Why  should 
she  not  receive  back  her  life  and  happiness  at  its 
hands? 

The  temptation  came  upon  her  and  gripped  her  for 
a  moment  so  that  she  could  not  move. 

Then  she  picked  up  her  rifle,  jammed  her  pistol 
more  firmly  in  her  belt  and  went  to  the  flap  of  the  tent 
door  and  pushed  it  aside. 

In  the  bright  African  moonlight  she  saw  the  form 
of  the  great  yellow  cat,  trotting  leisurely  across  the 
sand  in  the  direction  of  a  low  ridge  of  sandhill,  scrub 
and  rock  that  lay  towards  the  east,  obliquely  oppo- 
site to  the  direction  in  which  the  men  had  gone.  The 
moonlight  showed  her  clearly  its  victim  flung  over  its 
shoulder  for  its  convenience  in  long  travel.  She 
could  see,  too,  it  was  a  lioness,  and  these  two  facts 
made  her  think  that  the  girl  was  probably  uninjured. 
The  lioness  was  out  hunting,  not  for  herself  but  for 
food  for  her  cubs,  and  the  prey  was  being  carefully 
carried  back  to  them.  She  could  see  there  was  no 


272        THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

struggle.  No  screams  broke  the  stillness.  In  help- 
less unconsciousness  the  girl  was  being  borne  away 
to  a  swift,  inexorable  death.  And  to  the  watcher  at 
the  tent  door  came  again  the  great  voice  of  Self  and 
all  the  cries  of  the  Flesh  saying :  "  Let  her  go !  It 
is  not  your  part  to  save  her." 

She  did  not  know  how  many  servants  had  gone  with 
the  men;  doubtless  they  had  left  some,  but  those 
probably  not  the  most  active  nor  the  best  shots.  If 
she  took  the  time  to  go  to  the  back  of  the  camp  and 
find  and  rouse  them,  before  anything  could  really  be 
done  in  rescue  the  lioness  would  have  disappeared. 
The  natives  would  talk  and  gesticulate,  weapons 
would  probably  not  be  ready,  the  time  in  which  res- 
cue could  be  effected  would  be  lost.  Yet  Regina 
would  appear  to  have  done  all  she  could,  she  would 
have  roused  the  camp,  she  would  have  tried  to  get 
assistance;  no  one  could  expect  a  woman  to  go  out 
on  foot  alone  to  face  lions  in  the  night,  nor  reproach 
her  if  she  did  not. 

Regina  would  be  guiltless  and  Sybil  for  ever  un- 
able to  mar  her  life  again. 

But  as  there  is  a  magnetic  pole  which  draws  all 
magnets  to  itself,  so  in  this  world  there  is  that  great 
indefinable  Force  of  the  Right  which  draws  all  noble 
natures  always  to  itself.  Where  they  see  the  Good 
and  the  Right  gleaming  ahead  of  them,  there  they 
must  follow,  though  stones  cut  their  feet  and  thorns 
tear  their  flesh.  The  Right,  through  everything, 
pulls  them  to  itself.  And  it  drew  Regina's  feet 
swiftly  over  the  threshold  of  the  tent  now.  Silently, 
quickly,  gripping  her  rifle,  she  followed  in  the  wake 
of  the  lioness.  And  Temptation  walked  beside  her, 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  273 

trying  vainly  to  suffocate  her  soul  with  its  dark 
wings.  She  knew  that  in  the  effort  before  her  she 
must  probably  surrender  her  own  life,  and  the  great- 
ness of  the  sacrifice,  the  immensity  of  the  demand 
made  upon  her  appealed  to  her,  called  upon  the  hero- 
ism within  her. 

For  some  miles  the  lioness  went  on  at  the  same  easy 
trot,  and  Regina  followed  swiftly,  but  unable  to 
shorten  the  distance  between  them.  Then  the  yellow 
form  began  to  spring  and  bound,  and  for  a  second 
now  and  then  was  lost  to  view,  and  her  pursuer  knew 
that  she  had  reached  the  scrub  by  the  rocks.  Then 
the  tawny  form  disappeared  altogether  and  only  the 
human  figure  remained,  hurrying  over  the  sand  in 
the  moonlight. 

At  last  she  reached  the  scrub  amongst  the  rising 
sandhills  and  here  she  went  very  cautiously,  search- 
ing for  the  mouth  of  the  lair  she  guessed  was  hidden 
there.  She  stood  still  for  a  moment,  listening  for  a 
sound  to  guide  her.  A  faint  scuffling  noise  came 
from  a  gully  beside  her,  deep  down  between  two  black 
faces  of  rock  and  overgrown  with  stunted  thorn  and 
the  disk-leaved  cactus.  Down,  down  through  these, 
one  step  at  a  time,  silently,  holding  her  heavy  rifle 
above  her  head  to  avoid  the  catching  thorn,  she  de- 
scended. The  moon,  that  had  been  obscured  by  a 
tiny  cloud,  broke  suddenly  again  into  full  brilliance 
and  she  saw  she  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave. 

Calm,  cool,  without  a  thought  of  her  own  life  and 
beauty  that  she  was  taking  to  destruction,  only  filled 
with  an  intense  determination  to  save  another,  she 
stooped  down  and  entered  the  lair.  The  entrance 
was  low,  but  worn  smooth  and  easy  of  access,  once 


274       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

reached,  by  the  passing  and  repassing  of  a  great 
body.  Within  the  cave  the  floor  was  sandy,  and  the 
rock  roof  so  near  to  it  she  could  not  stand  upright, 
but  had  to  move  forward  crouchingly,  with  bent 
knees.  Through  the  obscurity  of  the  inside  she 
strained  her  eyes,  and  there,  opposite  her,  far  back 
from  the  entrance,  she  saw  four  green  spots  of  phos- 
phorescent fire  against  the  rock  background.  She 
paused,  holding  herself  very  still.  The  warm,  suf- 
focating scent  of  the  den  filled  her  nostrils ;  she  heard 
snuffing  and  scrambling  noises,  and  then,  as  the  dark- 
ness became  more  and  more  clear  to  her  eyes,  she  de- 
scried the  forms  of  two  little  yellow  cubs  tumbling 
over  each  other  on  some  brush  in  the  corner  and 
snuffing  at  her  with  curiosity.  The  mother  was  not 
there.  Regina  looked  round.  On  a  ledge  of  rock 
jutting  out  from  one  side  lay  the  unconscious  form 
of  her  companion,  her  loose  sleeping  gown  all  gath- 
ered together  by  her  neck,  where  the  lioness  had  held 
her,  but  apparently  otherwise  untouched. 

Regina's  heart  leaped  up  in  a  great  sense  of  tri- 
umph. All  personal  feeling  was  lost  and  she  was 
only  intent  now  on  her  heroic  duty  to  save. 

As  she  had  thought,  the  lioness  had  been  out  hunt- 
ing, not  for  immediate  food,  but  for  the  sake  of  filling 
up  her  larder,  and  having  secured  one  victim,  dis- 
satisfied, perhaps,  with  the  size  of  it,  she  had  left  it 
there  and  started  out  again  to  look  for  more. 

Speed  was  the  great  necessity  now !  Regina  felt 
that  if  she  could  get  away  from  the  den  and  cross  the 
desert  to  the  camp  in  time,  her  success  was  won. 
She  turned  to  the  rock  and  lifted  the  girl's  limp  body 
into  her  anus.  One  of  the  cubs  ran  out  and  snuffed 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  275 

and  growled  at  her  like  a  puppy  and  she  nearly  fell 
over  its  soft  body  as  it  waddled  to  the  entrance  with 
her.  But  in  a  moment  more  she  stood  upright  out- 
side and  drew  in  a  deep  breath  of  the  pure  desert 
air. 

Up,  up  through  the  brake  and  the  tangle  of  tear- 
ing thorn  and  poisonous  cactus,  she  ascended,  pant- 
ing with  the  burden  of  the  girl  and  the  rifle  in  her 
arms.  She  held  her  against  her  breast,  one  arm 
under  her  shoulders,  the  other  under  her  knees,  and 
the  rifle  clasped  flat  along  the  girl's  side  in  her  right 
hand.  How  she  blessed  her  splendid  strength  of 
limb  and  lung  and  muscle  coming  up  that  thorny, 
rocky  path.  The  top  of  the  sandhills  gained,  the 
worst  was  over,  smooth  and  easy  to  travel  lay  before 
her  the  hard  sand  of  the  desert.  Down  from  the 
sandhills  in  safety  she  stood  now  on  the  level  and, 
breathing  deeply,  she  started  a  steady,  even  walk  over 
the  moonlight  plain.  Her  burden  lay  so  still  in  her 
arms  she  feared  the  shock  had  killed  her.  But  the 
body  felt  limp  and  warm;  she  could  only  hope  she 
was  merely  unconscious.  She  walked  on  and  the 
sweat  in  the  hot  night  broke  from  her  forehead  and 
poured  down  her  face,  her  knees  trembled  from  fa- 
tigue. From  behind  a  faint  light  of  the  coming 
dawn  began  to  shine  on  the  desert.  Still  very  far 
in  the  distance  she  thought  her  strained  eyes  could 
distinguish  the  white  peaks  of  their  camp.  Would 
the  men  have  returned?  Would  he  be  there?  How 

would Without    her    having    heard    a    sound, 

there  was  a  rush  of  wind  past  her,  a  blow  on  her 
neck  and  shoulders  of  something  she  could  not  see 
and  the  next  instant  she  was  flat  on  the  sand,  the 


body  of  the  girl  beside  her,  over  which  stood  the 
lioness,  growling  and  snuffing  suspiciously.  Con- 
fused by  the  scent  of  the  den  and  the  cubs,  the  ani- 
mal paused  there. 

Regina  scrambled  to  her  knees,  raised  her  rifle, 
took  aim  and  fired,  over  the  body  of  the  girl,  straight 
at  the  snowy  breast  of  the  lioness.  There  was  a  roar 
of  agony  and  rage  and  the  beast  was  upon  her. 
Her  bullet  had  found  its  heart,  but  it  still  had  strength 
and  time  to  take  its  vengeance.  Without  pain,  for 
the  girl  was  above  the  region  of  pain  in  that  excite- 
ment that  knows  neither  suffering  nor  fear,  she  felt 
its  teeth  close  cruelly  on  her  shoulder  and  break  it, 
and  its  claws  sink  deep  into  her  breast  and  back  and 
tear  the  flesh.  She  turned  her  head  away,  cheek 
down  to  the  sand,  to  save  her  sight,  for  she  still  had 
work  to  do,  and  so  for  a  second  remained  motionless. 
The  great  beast's  growling  turned  to  long  moans, 
slowly  its  teeth  and  claws  relaxed.  Then  suddenly 
it  rolled  clear  from  her  and  lay  still. 

Regina  picked  herself  up  and  stood,  the  blood 
pouring  from  her  shoulder  and  chest,  but  the  daunt- 
less soul,  strong  and  unbroken,  determined  to  con- 
quer. 

With  her  left  and  uninjured  arm  she  drew  the  girl's 
body  up  to  her  and  walked  forward,  strong  in  that 
last  great  gush  of  vitality  that  Nature  gives,  open- 
ing all  those  reserves  for  which  there  is  no  future 
need. 

Half-an-hour  later,  as  the  dawn  came  up  over  the 
ridge,  she  reached  the  camp. 

Her  eyes  were  dim,  and  vaguely  she  saw  the  press 
of  figures,  the  fires,  the  standing  camels.  Her  head 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  277 

was  light  and  a  strange  singing  filled  her  ears,  but 
she  heard  the  word  "  Regina  "  come  in  his  voice  to 
her,  full  of  agony  and  love  and  passion,  and  she  stag- 
gered towards  him,  livid,  speechless,  her  clothing 
drenched  with  blood  that  still  came  slowly  from  her 
shoulder. 

It  seemed  to  her  swaying  vision  that  she  was  in- 
stantly surrounded  by  figures  and  faces,  a  thousand 
faces  swam  round  her,  her  burden  was  taken  from 
her,  then  came  the  roughness  of  sand  to  her  cheek 
and  lips  as  she  fell,  and  then  black  unconscious- 
ness. 

The  doctor  and  Everest  knelt  beside  her;  at  his 
orders  all  the  others  fell  back  and  the  cool  breeze  that 
blows  in  the  desert  at  dawn  came  to  her  unimpeded. 
With  hands  that  did  not  show  the  slightest  quiver, 
though  the  tension  of  agony  in  his  brain  was  so  great, 
it  seemed  as  if  it  must  break  it,  Everest  loosened  her 
cartridge  belt  and  drew  it  from  her. 

"  Good  God !  her  right  arm !  "  He  exclaimed,  as  it 
fell  unnaturally,  broken,  as  he  moved  her  and  sud- 
denly the  words  shot  across  his  brain  in  its  anguish, 
"  if  some  love  business  does  not  cripple  her." 

The  doctor  forced  a  little  brandy  between  her 
white  lips,  but  she  did  not  move,  she  lay  there  under 
Everest's  eyes,  the  gay,  radiant  creature  he  had  left, 
now  crushed  and  senseless,  a  little  heap  of  torn  flesh 
and  broken  bones  and  blood-stained  clothing. 

It  seemed  to  him  that  all  the  agony  of  a  hundred 
lives  of  pain  was  forced  into  his  brain  at  that  sight. 

"  We  must  get  this  off,"  the  doctor  muttered, 
indicating  the  black  and  stiffening  blouse;  it  was 
already  torn  down  by  the  lioness's  claws  at  the  back, 


278       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

and  the  under-linen  bodice  and  flesh  and  skin  with  it. 
St  John  and  Merton,  who  were  standing  by,  turned 
away,  unable  to  bear  the  sight  of  all  that  white  love- 
liness mangled  and  destroyed.  Everest,  pale  as 
ashes,  but  perfectly  calm,  drew  and  cut  away  the 
stuff,  piece  by  piece,  with  infinite  skill  and  care. 

No  one  seemed  to  think  of  Sybil;  after  the  first 
hasty  pronouncement  of  the  doctor  that  she  was  alive 
and  uninjured,  she  had  been  carried  to  her  tent. 
Merton  had  given  some  orders  about  her,  then  he  had 
come  back  to  Everest's  side,  but  Regina  herself,  as 
sense  struggled  back  to  her,  asked  as  she  first  unclosed 
her  eyes : 

"  Is  she  all  right?     Did  I  save  her?  " 

"  Yes,  my  sweet,  my  brave  darling,  you  did," 
Everest  answered,  bending  over  her.  Their  eyes  met, 
and  a  little  smile  played  in  hers  as  she  saw  the  fire  of 
love  in  his. 

"  I'm  glad,"  she  said  faintly.  The  agony  was  in- 
tense now  that  action  was  over.  Her  eyelids  quiv- 
ered and  then  grew  still  as  she  lapsed  into  senseless- 
ness again. 

Merton,  who  was  watching  her  face,  turned  to  St 
John  and  gripped  his  arm. 

"  Oh>  St  John,  this  is  too  horrible.  If  she  dies 
what  shall  I  do?  Why  did  I  leave  Sybil  with  her?  " 
His  face  was  working  convulsively.  St  John  drew 
him  away. 

The  sun  was  getting  quite  hot,  in  that  instant  way 
it  has  in  Africa ;  as  soon  as  its  rays  are  well  over  the 
horizon  they  begin  to  burn. 

The  doctor  wanted  to  get  her  into  the  shelter  of  the 
tent.  As  he  touched  her  to  raise  her  she  groaned. 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  279 

"  Let  Everest  lift  me,"  she  murmured,  and  the 
doctor  drew  back. 

"  She  can  stand  it  better  from  you,"  he  said  to 
Everest,  and  the  latter  slipped  his  arm  very  gently 
under  her  and  raised  her.  It  was  agony  to  be 
touched,  frightful  pain  to  be  moved,  but  she  was  si- 
lent in  his  arms  as  he  lifted  her  and  carried  her  into 
their  tent. 

He  laid  her  on  the  bed,  on  her  unwounded  side,  and 
put  a  pillow  to  support  the  broken,  useless  arm,  and 
then  bent  and  kissed  her  as,  in  all  their  days  of  pas- 
sion, he  had  not  done  yet.  She  saw  in  the  anguish 
on  his  face  at  that  moment  his  suffering,  that  he 
showed  in  no  other  way. 

"  Do  not  grieve  so,"  she  whispered.  "  I  am  so 
strong.  I  shall  recover  all  right.  Tell  me,  did  you 
find  any  lion  ?  " 

He  shook  his  head.  "  No,  not  where  we  went. 
That's  why  we  came  back.  They  were  on  this  side." 

"  Then  I  did  have  the  first  shot  at  lion  in  this  camp, 
as  you  said  I  ought  to.  How  strange  it  all  seems ! 
I  shot  it  out  there  to  the  east  of  the  camp.  I  want 
you  to  have  that  skin.  Will  you  send  after  it?  Get 
it  before  it  is  spoiled,  and  always  keep  it.  Everest, 
you  know  —  I  saved  her  —  for  you" 

"  I  know,  I  know,"  he  answered,  and  his  voice  told 
her  the  words  were  wrung  out  of  his  inmost  soul. 
"  But  I  only  want  you.  It  has  all  been  a  mistake, 
and  I  felt  I  could  not  explain.  You  are  my  very  life, 
dearest,  no  one  else  is  anything." 

"  Come,  come,  this  won't  do !  "  broke  in  upon  them 
from  the  door.  "  No  talking,  no  excitement,  please." 

The  doctor  had  gone  for  his  case  of  probes  and 


280       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

dressings.  He  stood  now  with  it  in  his  hand  and  dis- 
approval on  his  face.  Everest  moved  a  little  from 
the  bed. 

"  Leave  me  with  the  doctor  for  a  moment,"  Regina 
said.  "  I  want  to  ask  him  something,"  and  Everest 
left  the  tent  to  give  orders  for  the  body  of  the  lion- 
ess to  be  brought  into  camp. 

As  he  came  back  from  doing  this,  he  came  upon  the 
doctor  just  leaving  the  tent  and  stopped. 

"  Will  she  live?  "  he  asked,  and  the  doctor  thought 
in  all  his  experience  he  had  never  seen  so  much  suf- 
fering and  anxiety  on  a  person's  face,  combined  with 
such  perfect  self-control  and  calm,  and  thought  what 
a  splendid  pair  they  were. 

"  No  one  can  say,"  he  replied,  "  but  I  should  think 
there  is  every  chance  of  her  doing  so.  I  was  just 
coming  out  to  find  you.  This  probing  of  the 
wounds  is  a  most  painful  process,  but  it's  extremely 
necessary;  all  our  success  depends  on  getting  them 
clean.  They  are  all  choked  up  now  with  clotted 
blood  and  bits  of  linen  driven  in  by  the  beast's  claws. 
Your  wife's  just  as  brave  as  she  can  be,  but  she  must 
suffer  intensely.  Your  influence  is  so  good  over  her, 
you'd  better  be  present  while  I'm  doing  it:  you  soothe 
her,  mesmerise  her  in  some  way,  and  that's  better 
than  an  anaesthetic.  I  believe  she'd  let  you  mince 
her  up  alive  and  never  complain.  It's  a  nasty  busi- 
ness for  you  seeing  it  done,  but  if  you  can  stand  it, 
it's  better  for  her." 

"  Of  course  I  will,"  rejoined  Everest.  "  I  was 
coming  back  now  to  her,"  and  both  men  entered  the 
tent  together. 

It  was  a  hideous  scene  of  four  long  hours  of  suffer- 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  281 

ing  that  followed,  but  suffering  illumined  by  those 
noblest  qualities  in  humanity  that  shine  out  like 
lamps  here  and  there  and  throw  their  light  across 
the  stained  pages  of  humanity's  black  record  as  a 
whole. 

The  girl  never  flinched  nor  groaned  as  the  probes 
went  deep  into  the  long  slashes  from  shoulder  to 
waist  made  by  the  lion's  claws,  nor  when  the  forced-in 
linen  was  drawn  out  from  the  wound  above  her  breast, 
nor  when  her  broken  arm  was  handled  and  set.  Of 
all  the  great  horrible  pain  she  was  suffering  the  men 
were  given  no  sign  to  increase  their  difficulty  and 
labour. 

Everest  at  first  held  her  hand  and  spoke  to  her, 
putting  to  her  lips  from  time  to  time  the  liquid  the 
doctor  ordered,  but  when  the  wounds  were  clean  it 
was  his  strong,  slight  hand  that,  without  a  quiver  of 
the  muscles,  replaced  as  far  as  was  possible  the  torn 
fragments  of  flesh  and  strips  of  skin  exactly  and  per- 
fectly in  their  place  in  the  hope  that  they  would  grow 
again,  reunite  and  join  without  a  serious  scar.  The 
union  of  brain  between  these  two  was  so  complete 
that,  though  Regina  had  not  uttered  any  word  on  the 
subject,  to  Everest  it  seemed  as  if  her  whole  body, 
as  it  lay  there  so  broken  and  wounded,  was  crying 
out  to  him :  "  My  beauty,  my  beauty !  Save  that 
if  you  can  for  the  sake  of  our  love."  And  the  doctor 
watched  with  surprise  the  admirable  skill  and  infinite 
care  with  which  he  pieced  all  the  satin  surface  to- 
gether. Some  of  the  places  were  too  deep  to  be 
treated  in  any  way  but  stitched  up,  and  this  the 
doctor  did  himself.  Then  they  dressed  and  bandaged 
the  whole  of  the  back  and  shoulder  and  breast  and  set 


282       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

and  bandaged  the  broken  arm,  and  only  at  the  very 
last  Regina  quietly  fainted  as  Everest  kissed  her  and 
told  her  it  was  finished. 

When  she  recovered  consciousness  she  passed  al- 
most immediately  into  a  deep  sleep.  She  was  so  very, 
very  tired  and  everything  was  done  now,  and  he  was 
pleased  with  her,  so  nothing  mattered  and  the  sense 
of  suffocating  heat  in  the  tent  as  the  noon  rays 
poured  down  on  the  canvas,  the  buzz  of  the  flies,  the 
sight  of  the  instruments  and  basins  and  bandages, 
the  long  ache  and  smart  of  her  whole  body,  all  these 
were  blotted  out  as  the  soft,  velvet  darkness  of  sleep 
enfolded  her. 

The  doctor  turned  to  Everest. 

"  Now  you  must  turn  in  and  take  a  rest.  Out 
riding  all  last  night  and  then  four  hours  of  this. 
Tell  them  to  send  in  that  extra  little  bed  here  and 
then  get  a  good  sleep.  If  you  don't  you'll  be  done 
up  and  no  good  to  nurse  her." 

"  But  it's  the  same  for  you,  doctor,"  rejoined  Ever- 
est, smiling.  He  was  standing  erect  at  the  foot  of 
the  bed,  without  any  sign  of  fatigue.  "  You've  been 
without  sleep  as  long  as  I  have ;  you  want  a  rest." 

"  Oh,  nonsense.  I'm  not  leading  the  life  you  are 
and  taking  it  out  of  myself  all  ways  at  once.  I'll  get 
that  bed  in  and  then  off  to  sleep  you  go.  When  you 
wake  up  you  can  watch  her  and  let  me  doze  a  bit." 
And  he  went  out. 

A  little  later,  when  he  had  seen  his  two  patients, 
as  he  called  them  to  himself  —  for  the  pallor  and  ex- 
treme mental  distress  of  Everest's  face  told  him  that, 
unless  there  were  some  alleviation  of  the  strain,  phys- 
ical collapse  must  follow  —  asleep  in  the  big  tent, 


IN  THE  DARK  WATCHES  283 

he  crossed  the  strip  of  fiery  sand  to  the  two  little 
white  ones  opposite  of  Sybil  and  her  brother.  He 
entered  the  girl's  and  found  her  white  and  shivering 
in  her  bed  with  the  rug  drawn  up  to  her  neck.  Mer- 
ton  was  standing  beside  her. 

"Why  doesn't  Everest  come  to  see  me?"  Sybil 
asked  directly  the  doctor  appeared.  "  It  was  all  so 
awful  for  me.  He  might  have  come." 

"  Mr.  Lanark  has  not  had  a  moment  in  which  to 
think  of  anything  but  his  wife  and  her  suffering; 
he's  been  working  with  me  there  for  her  these  last  four 
hours,  and  now  I've  made  him  go  to  bed.  He's  ut- 
terly exhausted  with  it  all,"  the  doctor  answered,  with 
some  asperity. 

"  I  don't  believe  I  shall  ever  get  over  it,"  moaned 
Sybil,  "  that  awful  beast  coming  on  to  the  bed.  I 
think  it's  coming  again  every  minute." 

"  You  had  better  try  and  brace  up,  and  not  give 
way  to  your  nerves  like  this,"  he  returned.  "  Your 
friend  shot  the  lioness,  so  you've  nothing  to  fear  from 
the  same  one  anyway.  You'd  better  get  up  and  have 
some  luncheon  with  the  rest  of  us.  There's  nothing 
on  earth  the  matter  with  you." 

"  Oh,  doctor,  how  can  you !  You  don't  know  what 
I  feel!  I  couldn't  eat!  I  want  to  see  Everest.  I 
am  sure  he  would  come  if  he  were  told."  And  her 
eyes  began  to  fill  with  tears. 

"  I'll  go  and  get  him,  Sybil ;  don't  cry,"  exclaimed 
Merton,  who  resented  a  little  the  doctor's  attitude  to 
his  sister.  He  approached  the  door,  but  the  doctor 
barred  his  progress. 

"  You  shall  not  go,"  he  exclaimed  angrily,  "  and 
disturb  him  now.  I  won't  be  responsible  for  his  life, 


I  tell  you,  if  you  drag  him  up  from  his  sleep  and  bully 
him.  Let  your  sister  wait  till  the  evening.  If  she 
has  the  smallest  consideration  for  him  she  will  do  that 
at  least." 

The  doctor  was  a  great  burly  man  and  Merton 
could  not  get  by  him.  He  stopped  sulkily  and  Sybil 
said: 

"  Don't  go,  Merton,  I'll  wait." 

"  I  should  think  you  would,"  grunted  the  doctor, 
"  when  you've  caused  all  this  trouble  already ! " 

The  contrasts  of  humanity,  he  was  thinking  — 
Regina  in  her  agonies  had  declared  they  were  not  to 
worry  about  her,  she  was  not  suffering,  she  would 
soon  recover.  This  girl,  untouched,  persisted  in  ly- 
ing in  bed  and  magnifying  her  little  woes. 

Regina's  first  inquiry  had  been  for  Sybil.  Sybil 
never  troubled  herself  once  to  ask  about  the  one  who 
had  rescued  her ! 

"Well,  if  you  won't  get  up  and  lunch,"  he  said 
aloud,  "  you'd  best  have  a  sleeping  draught  and  try 
to  go  to  sleep." 

But  Sybil  did  not  want  to  be  put  to  sleep,  she 
wanted  to  lie  and  shiver  and  look  ill  and  complain 
and  talk  about  herself.  So  the  doctor  put  the 
draught  back  in  Tiis  pocket  and  went  off  to  the  dining 
tent,  where  he  found  St  John,  and  the  two  men  sat 
down  to  luncheon  alone. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE    KEACTION 

THAT  same  evening,  late,  when  the  moon  was  pouring 
silver  over  the  encampment  and  over  the  level  plain, 
and  the  pink  and  orange  ridges  of  rocky  hills  that  lay 
to  the  west  and  east,  and  the  air  was  cool  and  still, 
Everest  and  Sybil  sat  in  the  latter's  tent,  of  which  the 
flap  was  securely  shut  and  tied.  They  were  alone. 
The  girl  was  dressed  now,  and  sitting  on  a  folding- 
chair. She  looked  pale,  and  her  face  was  tense  with 
anxiety,  her  eyes  distracted. 

Everest  sat  opposite  her,  restored  by  his  long 
sleep,  calm  and  entirely  composed.  On  his  face  was 
an  unusual  expression  of  severity :  it  looked  implaca- 
ble, absolutely  immovable,  like  a  countenance  of  stone. 
Sybil  clasped  her  hands  and  wrung  them  together  in 
her  lap. 

"  Oh,  Everest,  don't  say  such  things,"  she  said,  in 
a  low  tone.  "  Don't  say  you  won't  marry  me  —  any 
time.  Not  just  now,  I  know  you  can't  —  not  for 
some  time,  perhaps,  but  promise  you  will  some  time 
—  when  we  are  back  in  Europe,  say.  It  is  so  dread- 
ful to  me  to  think  of  —  of  —  all  that  has  happened* 
if  we  are  not  to  marry  after  all." 

"  Why  did  you  seek  such  a  position,  then  ?  "  he 
asked,  looking  across  at  her  steadily ;  and  she,  meeting 
the  gaze  of  those  large  eyes  full  of  fiery  darkness 
like  the  African  sky  at  midnight,  felt  her  soul  sink 

285 


286       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

and  faint  in  a  mingled  anguish  of  shame  and  despair 
and  hopeless  longing  for  him. 

"  You  knew  that  I  was  with  a  woman  I  loved,  and 
who  loved  me.  Why  did  you  come  and  try  to  force 
yourself,  as  you  did  from  the  first,  between  us  ?  " 

"  I  felt  sure  you  were  not  married.  Regina  was 
only  one  of  all  the  many  women  you  have  had  with 
you  for  a  time.  She  would  have  to  give  way  to  any 
woman  you  wanted  to  marry." 

Everest's  face  grew  still  more  set  and  cold,  if  that 
were  possible. 

"  You  see  you  chose  to  assume  all  that,  and  as- 
sumed wrongly,"  he  said  quietly,  and  his  tones  were 
like  falling  ice.  "  Had  you  accepted  the  idea  that 
we  were  married  you  would  have  been  wiser.  Regina 
is  virtually  my  wife.  I  should  never  place  any  other 
woman  than  her  in  that  position.  I  shall  be  glad  if 
you  will  try  to  grasp  that  now." 

Sybil,  unable  to  bear  his  gaze,  his  voice,  beside 
herself  with  wretchedness,  burst  into  tears. 

She  slipped  from  her  chair  to  the  floor  and  put  her 
hands  pleadingly  on  his  knees. 

"  You  can't  mean  it,  Everest,  I  am  sure  you  don't. 
It  would  be  the  wrecking  of  my  life." 

Everest's  face  did  not  change ;  he  looked  down  upon 
her  unmoved.  She  was  very  beautiful,  but  in  that 
moment  he  did  not  even  admire  her.  The  passion  for 
Regina,  stirred  now  into  a  great  blaze,  seemed  liter- 
ally to  hide  this  girl  from  him;  moreover,  she  had 
deceived,  entrapped  and  was  now  trying  to  coerce 
him. 

"  Do  you  not  see  that  if  I  did  marry  you  it  would 
mean  the  wrecking  of  Regina's  life?  " 


THE  REACTION  287 

'*  I  have  not  to  think  or  care  about  Regina ! " 

"  Did  she  not  think  of  you  when  she  followed  you 
into  the  lion's  cave?  You  would  not  be  living  at  all 
now  but  for  her.  For  you  she  is  lying  there  in  agony, 
maimed  and  mutilated,  that  you  may  be  here  safe, 
and  you  talk  of  not  having  to  think  of  her ! "  His 
voice  shook  with  anger. 

"  Rubbish !  She  didn't  do  it  for  me,  she  did  it  for 
you." 

This  was  perfectly  true,  but  it  was  the  worst  thing 
she  could  have  said  in  her  own  cause.  It  came  over 
Everest  with  heartrending  force,  the  truth  of  it. 
Regina  had  done  it  for  him.  For  him  she  was  now 
lying  crushed  and  broken,  with  all  her  glorious  vital- 
ity laid  by  perhaps  for  ever. 

"  For  me,  well,  then,  yes,  for  me ;  and  you  want  me 
to  desert  her  in  return,  to  consider  you  before  her. 
You  talk  of  my  duty  to  you  when  she  has  all  but 
given  up  her  life  for  me !  I  have  no  duty  whatever  to 
anyone,  except  to  her !  " 

"  Nonsense,  Everest ;  you  know  it's  no  use  to  talk 
like  that.  You  must  marry  me  now  after  what  has 
occurred.  You  knew  very  well  I  considered  myself 
engaged  to  you  or  I  should  never  have  allowed  it." 

"Allowed!" 

Everest  only  uttered  that  one  word.  His  face  was 
very  pale;  his  lips  compressed  into  one  hard  line; 
his  brows  contracted.  Vividly  the  whole  scheme  of 
the  last  two  months  stood  before  him;  like  a  raised 
map  in  black  and  white  relief.  The  coming  of  this 
girl  and  her  brother  to  join,  their  expedition,  their 
insistence  on  being  in  the  same  camp  with  him,  the 
daily,  hourly  companionship  she  had  forced  upon  him, 


288       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

the  persistent  court,  the  final  deliberately  compromis- 
ing situations,  the  seduction  of  his  senses,  the  difficult 
overthrow  of  his  reason. 

As  in  Regina's  case  he  had  taken  all  blame  to  him- 
self, and  knew  that  he  had  abused  her  innocence  and 
trusting  love,  so  here  his  conscience  absolutely  ac- 
quitted him. 

Just  then  the  string  of  the  door  flap  was  pulled 
undone  from  the  outside,  the  flap  pushed  aside  and 
Merton  came  in.  It  seemed  to  Everest  as  if  his  com- 
ing had  been  arranged  beforehand.  Sybil  rose  and 
sat  back  in  her  chair.  Everest  did  not  move.  Mer- 
ton looked  from  one  to  the  other. 

"  I  can  guess  what  you've  been  discussing,"  he  said 
rather  awkwardly.  "  Look  here,  Everest.  Sybil 
has  told  me  everything,  and  I  really  do  think  you 
ought  to  do  something  about  it." 

"What  would  you  propose  my  doing?  "  returned 
Everest  coldly,  looking  steadily  at  Merton,  who 
flushed  uncomfortably  under  the  older  man's  gaze. 

"  Well,  marry  her,  or  promise  to  marry  her  when 
we  all  meet  again  in  Europe,  because  I  suppose  we'll 
have  to  break  up  now.  She's  had  such  a  shock  she 
wants  to  get  out  of  this,  and  I  imagine  you'll  be  tied 
here  some  time  yet;  but  I'd  like  some  understanding 
as  to  what  you're  going  to  do  before  we  leave." 

"  I  have  already  told  your  sister  I  can  do  nothing." 

"  But  you  know,  it's  all  very  well,"  remonstrated 
Merton  hotly ;  "  we're  cousins,  and  you  have  some 
responsibility  to  her.  She  says  you  have  been  inti- 
mate, that  you  forced  her " 

Everest  rose  from  his  chair  with  a  sudden  move- 
ment. 


THE  REACTION  289 

"You  believed  that  —  of  me?"  he  asked,  and 
Merton  shrank  under  his  eyes  and  tone. 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  believe,"  he  said  sulkily. 

"  Will  you  repeat  that  accusation,  Sybil,  in  my 
presence?  "  he  asked,  turning  to  her,  but  Sybil  could 
not  raise  her  eyes.  She  turned  scarlet  and  looked 
down  on  the  camp-table  beside  her. 

"  No,  no,"  she  faltered  hurriedly,  "  I  never  said 
exactly  that.  Merton  must  have  misunderstood." 

A  look  of  contempt  passed  over  Everest's  face  as 
he  turned  again  to  Merton  in  silence,  his  eyes  seemed 
to  say,  "  You  see  what  a  liar  she  is." 

"  Will  you  admit  your  relations  with  her?  " 

"  If  Sybil  wishes  me  to,  yes,  I  admit  that,  other- 
wise I  should  never  have  admitted  it  to  anyone." 

"  Then  you  owe  her  some  reparation." 

"I  owe  her  nothing,"  rejoined  Everest,  with  some 
heat.  "  It  was  a  mutual  amusement,  and  she  under- 
stood perfectly  from  the  very  first  it  was  not,  and 
could  not  be,  anything  more.  I  decline  to  discuss  the 
matter  any  further.  It  is  done,  over.  As  far  as 
I  am  concerned  it  is  effaced  from  my  mind.  What 
do  you  want,  Merton?  Do  you  want  a  duel  with  me 
over  it,  or  what  ?  " 

"  No,  oh  no,  of  course  not,"  Merton  replied  hastily ; 
"  that  can  do  no  good.  I  want  you  to  promise  to 
marry  her  some  time,  next  year,  say.  Why  not, 
Everest?  It  has  always  been  thought  and  talked  of 
in  our  families,  and  Sybil  has  as  much  as  you  have. 
We  have  all  hoped  you  two  would  marry." 

"  I  refuse  absolutely.  You  must  be  made  of  stont 
if  you  can  talk  of  my  marrying  your  sister  when  the 
woman  I  love  is  between  life  and  death  because  of 


290       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

her  devotion  and  self-sacrifice.  Sybil  would  not  be 
here  at  all  to  make  her  mad  charges  and  demands  but 
for  her.  She  is  my  wife,  or  will  be  as  soon  as  I  can 
make  her  so.  It  is  useless  to  go  on  talking.  Let 
me  pass." 

Merton  moved  from  the  door  and  Everest,  without 
a  glance  at  Sybil,  went  out. 

Coming  out  of  her  tent,  white  with  anger  and  vi- 
brating with  an  indignation  he  could  not  repress,  little 
as  his  general  impulse  was  to  condemn  others,  he  ran 
almost  against  the  doctor  who  was  coming  from  Re- 
gina. 

"  How  is  she  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Is  she  out  of  danger 
now?  For  God's  sake  tell  me  she  is." 

"  Don't  excite  yourself  so  ;  yes,  yes,  she  is  out  of  all 
danger,  humanly  speaking.  I  see  no  reason  why  she 
should  not  quite  recover.  Of  course  her  condition 
complicates  matters  a  little,  but,  as  far  as  one  can 
judge,  she  is  going  on  very  well  indeed." 

Everest  stared  at  him. 

"  Her  condition?  But  she  was  in  splendid  health 
when  this  happened !  " 

The  doctor  stared  in  his  turn. 

"  Health  ?     Oh  yes,  but  I  was  alluding  to  her  state 

—  being  enceinte,  I  mean." 

Everest  paled  till  he  was  whiter  than  the  drill  he 
was  wearing. 

"  Is  it  so  ?  "  he  asked,  after  a  second's  blank  gaze 
at  the  not  too  friendly  face  regarding  him,  "  and  she 

—  did  she  know  it  herself?  " 

"  Oh  yes ;  I  should  think  so,  undoubtedly.  Yes,  I 
know  she  did,  for  the  first  thing  she  asked  me  when 


THE  REACTION  291 

we  were  alone  was,  would  all  this  make  any  difference 
to  the  child." 

"And  what  did  you  say?"  Everest  asked,  with 
difficulty;  his  throat  seemed  dry;  a  cramp  stretched 
round  his  heart. 

"  I  told  her  no  one  could  say,  but  quite  possibly  it 
would  make  no  difference  since  it  was  so  near  the  be- 
ginning." 

"  Why  did  she  not  tell  me  ?  "  asked  Everest  blankly, 
incredulous  still. 

"  Perhaps  she  thought  it  wouldn't  be  welcome 
news,"  grunted  the  doctor  grumpily.  He  had  scant 
sympathy  with  Everest's  conduct  as  regarded  his 
cousin,  though  he  had  shown  such  genuine  and  pas- 
sionate devotion  towards  Regina  to-day  that  the  doc- 
tor was  inclined  to  be  lenient. 

"  May  I  see  her  now?     Go  to  her?  "  Everest  asked. 

"  Yes.  She's  had  a  splendid  sleep,  the  best  thing 
in  the  world  for  her.  Only  don't  let  her  talk  too 
much,  or  excite  her  in  any  way." 

Everest  nodded  in  assent  and  went  on.  A  strange 
feeling  of  delight,  of  triumph,  of  joy  in  his  possession 
of  her,  filled  suddenly  his  veins.  And  she  had  known 
it  all  this  time  and  had  not  told  him!  Even,  he  re- 
membered, she  seemed  to  equivocate  a  little  once  when 
he  had  questioned  her. 

He  came  into  the  tent  with  a  quick  step.  The  moon 
rays,  softened  by  the  white  canvas  through  which 
they  streamed,  filled  the  interior  with  pale  light,  and 
a  small  lamp  burned  at  the  side  of  the  tent  under  a 
shade.  Regina  was  lying  with  her  head  raised  on  a 
couple  of  pillows  and  the  soft  masses  of  her  fair  hair 


292       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

fell  over  the  edge  of  the  bed  and  in  its  long  waving 
lines  to  the  floor.  The  bandages  disfigured  her  upper 
arm  and  shoulder,  but  the  other,  bare  in  the  intense 
heat,  showed  warmly  white  above  the  blanket.  The 
extreme  pallor  of  her  face  threw  up  in  new  beauty 
the  sweeping  dark  lines  of  her  brows  and  the  wide- 
open,  light-filled  eyes.  She  was  looking  towards  the 
door  and  saw  him  enter.  His  cheek  was  flushed,  his 
eyes  kindling  and  full  of  fire.  He  looked  like  a  man 
who  had  drunk  exhilarating  and  unaccustomed  wine. 
He  crossed  to  her.  He  did  not  dare  to  lift  her,  not 
even  touch  her  as  he  longed  to  do,  to  crush  her  to 
him.  He  bent  over  her. 

"  My  very,  very  own,  my  life,  my  soul !  I  am  so 
glad." 

She  also  did  not  dare  to  move  her  body,  but  she 
lifted  her  bare  left  arm  and  put  it  round  his  neck. 

"  Are  you?  "  And  her  eyes  grew  radiant  and  full 
of  intense  passion  as  they  searched  his  face  in  the 
tender  light.  "  I  could  not  tell  —  now  —  and  under 
all  the  circumstances  ...  I  thought  it  might  only 
seem  a  tie  to  you,  but  oh !  if  you  are  glad,  Everest,  I 
cannot  tell  you  the  delight  it  is  to  me !  To  know  that 
I  am  to  have  a  child  by  you  —  the  most  perfectly 
beautiful  thing  I  have  ever  seen !  " 

"  You  will  marry  me  now,  won't  you,  for  its  sake 
anyway  ?  " 

"  Not  for  its  sake,  no,  only  for  yours,  if  you  really 
wish  it.  Do  tell  me  the  truth,  Everest,  it  is  so  im- 
portant for  all  the  rest  of  our  lives.  Do  you  wish, 
would  you  like  Sybil  in  my  place?  " 

"  Sybil !  Never  mention  her  name  to  me,"  he  said, 
while  the  blood  surged  all  across  his  face  and  then  left 


THE  REACTION  293 

it  white  again.  "  I  hate  it,  loathe  it  and  everything 
connected  with  her.  I  hope  I  may  never  see  her 
again.  I  only  want  to  blot  out  the  detestable  mem- 
ory of  her!  Is  that  enough  for  you?  "  he  asked  pas- 
sionately. "  Do  you  want  me  to  say  any  more?  " 

Regina  lifted  her  left  hand  in  protest. 

"  It  is  quite  enough,  kiss  me,  let  us  forget  it  all." 

There  was  silence  in  the  tent  for  a  little  while. 
Over  the  girl  from  head  to  foot  seemed  to  flow  a 
deep  peace  and  joy  like  some  magic  balm,  lulling  every 
pain  and  every  doubtful  thought.  The  great  loss  of 
blood  she  had  suffered  produced  in  her  a  physical 
tranquillity,  an  attitude  of  mental  acquiescence. 

It  was  different  with  Everest.  The  long  sleep  had 
quickly  repaired  the  strain  of  the  previous  hours,  he 
was  in  perfect  physical  condition,  the  blood  flowing 
at  full  tide  and  pressure  in  his  veins  and  his  whole 
brain  was  on  fire  with  anger  and  irritation  under 
Sybil's  accusations.  His  whole  being  seemed  in  a 
violent  turmoil,  and  on  the  crest  of  the  storm  within 
him  rode  like  a  white  seagull,  joyous  and  buoyant, 
the  thought  of  his  child  —  the  last  idea  that  had  been 
thrown  so  unexpectedly  into  his  mind,  the  final  shock 
in  the  whole  series  of  that  terrible  day,  and  through 
all  the  tempest  of  his  brain  it  seemed  to  flash  in  and 
out  among  the  storm-clouds  on  its  white  and  glorious 
wings.  He  had  always  loved  Regina  more  deeply 
than  any  other  woman  —  she  had  all  those  qualities 
which  appealed  to  every  strain  in  his  own  nature, 
and  now  to  him  their  love  and  passion  and  union 
seemed  complete.  This  last  action  of  hers  in  saving 
Sybil  was  one  a  man  might  be  proud  of,  and  it  had 
not  been  done  by  a  man  but  by  the  woman  he  loved, 


294       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

and  while  she  was  bearing  his  child,  and  the  two  facts, 
intertwisted  as  they  were,  seemed  like  a  double  steel 
cable  binding  him  to  her  in  the  most  passionate  devo- 
tion. 

He  passed  his  arm  under  her  head  amongst  the 
soft  waves  of  her  hair,  and  she  seemed  to  feel  the 
vibration  of  all  the  eager  tumult  of  emotion  in  him 
pass  through  it.  She  raised  her  eyelids  with  a  quick 
smile. 

"  It  is  such  good  news,  such  a  pleasure  to  me. 
Why  did  you  not  tell  me  sooner  if  you  knew?  "  he 
questioned  wonderingly. 

Brought  up  in  the  knowledge  of  and  accustomed  to 
ordinary  women,  he  could  not  grasp  entirely  the 
heroic  greatness  of  this  girl's  nature. 

"  My  dearest,  I  could  not  tell  you  at  a  time  when 
you  were  leaning  towards  separation  from  me.  It 
would  have  seemed  like  trying  to  tie  you  to  me  against 
your  will,  to  make  some  claim  upon  you,  which  I 
would  never  do."  Her  head  turned  restlessly  on  his 
arm.  The  light  flooding  her  face  showed  it  pale  and 
drawn  with  pain. 

"  But  it  makes  such  a  difference,"  he  pursued. 
"  Even  if  it  did  not  affect  my  wishes  and  desires, 
my  duty  would  be " 

Regina  looked  up  with  a  smile  in  her  eyes,  so  dark- 
ened by  suffering. 

"  Oh,  Everest,  what  has  duty  to  do  with  passionate 
love  like  ours?  Once  before  you  thought  it  your 
duty  to  marry  me,  and  I  would  not  have  it.  Don't 
you  see  that  I  want  you  to  be  happy?  That  is  all 
I  care  about.  Do  your  duty  to  the  world,  to  others 
if  you  like,  but  do  not  think  of  it  where  I  am  con- 


THE  REACTION  295 

cerned.  Let  it  be  all  passion,  pleasure,  desire,  with 
me  or  —  nothing." 

"  But  then  there  would  be  another  to  be  considered, 
provided  for,  my  sweet.  Did  you  think  of  that?  " 
Everest  rejoined  very  softly. 

"  I  knew  I  could  always  make  much  more  money 
than  I  want  for  myself,  the  child  could  have  had  the 
rest." 

Her  voice  was  very  faint,  the  light  showed  the  drops 
of  sweat  standing  out  on  her  ashy  forehead. 

Everest  bent  over  her. 

*'  Are  you  in  pain  now?  " 

*'  Oh  yes ;  I  ache,  I  ache  in  every  fibre ;  it  is  the 
constriction  of  lying  so  long  without  moving ;  but  you 
must  not  worry  about  it ;  there  will  be  such  lots  of  it 
co  bear!" 


CHAPTER  XI 

VAE    VICTIS 

A  WONDERFUL  deep  bank  of  orange  glowed  all  across 
the  western  sky,  and  the  light  of  the  sunset  fell  like  a 
mantle  over  the  limitless  expanse  of  the  desert  stretch- 
ing away  for  ever,  as  it  seemed,  beneath  the  flaming 
clouds.  Round  the  camp  that  lay  between  the  rocky 
ridges  to  east  and  west  was  some  stir  and  excitement. 
A  train  of  camels  bearing  tents  and  outfits  stood 
ready  waiting  the  signal  to  depart.  A  group  of 
figures  were  in  parley  before  the  three  white  tents 
that  still  stood  pitched  upon  the  sand. 

Sybil  and  Merton,  with  their  part  of  the  camp,  their 
servants,  guides  and  camels,  were  going. 

The  figures  waited  in  silence  outside  the  closed 
doors  of  Regina's  tent.  In  a  moment  or  two  Everest 
came  out. 

"  You  can  come  and  say  good-bye  to  her  now.  She 
is  waiting  for  you,"  he  said,  as  he  joined  the  group. 
Graham  started  forward  immediately,  Sybil's  feet 
seemed  to  cling  to  the  sand,  she  hesitated  and  mur- 
mured half  inaudibly :  "  I  don't  want  to  see  her." 

Everest  said  nothing.  He  merely  looked  at  her, 
and  Sybil  walked  forward  mechanically  and  entered 
the  tent. 

On  the  bed,  with  her  head  raised,  lay  Regina,  her 

great  flashing  eyes  turned  towards  them  all  as  they 

296 


VAE  VICTIS  297 

pressed  in.  Her  face  was  like  marble  in  its  whiteness, 
even  her  lips  were  colourless.  Her  whole  shoulder, 
right  arm  and  side  were  a  mass  of  bandages,  the  soft 
cloudy  yellow  of  her  hair  lay  above  her  forehead  and 
fell  over  her  left  arm.  Sybil  approached  the  bed  and 
said  nervously: 

"  Good-bye,  Regina,  I  hope  you  will  get  over  it 
soon.  I  expect  you  will.  Everest  is  such  a  splendid 
nurse."  There  was  a  half-suppressed  sigh  at  the 
end  of  her  words,  and  as  they  fell  on  the  silence  in 
the  tent  all  the  three  men  who  heard  it  glanced  invol- 
untarily at  Everest.  It  was  quite  clear  in  that  mo- 
ment to  them  all  that  of  the  two  women,  Sybil,  stand- 
ing upright,  erect,  untouched  in  her  full  power  and 
beauty,  envied  bitterly  the  one  who  was  lying  crushed 
and  broken,  maimed  and  disfigured  in  the  shadow  of 
death,  at  her  feet,  simply  because  of  the  delight  of 
this  man's  presence  that  she  would  have  about  her 
which  would  outweigh  delirium  and  fever  and  pain. 
It  came  in  upon  them  all  for  a  moment,  a  glimpse  of 
the  greatness  of  a  woman's  love,  even  when  it  has  a 
base  and  selfish  form,  the  value  of  it,  the  immense 
proportion  it  has  in  a  woman's  scheme  of  things. 

They  felt  the  truth,  that  Sybil,  fresh  and  strong 
and  sound,  only  longed  to  change  place  with  the 
other,  shattered  and  in  pain,  to  know  his  touch  and 
his  kiss. 

The  colour  came  hotly  to  Everest's  cheek  as  he 
felt  all  the  men  turn  their  eyes  on  him  and  heard 
the  keen  envy  in  Sybil's  tone,  and  he  said  hurriedly: 

"  No  nursing,  I  am  afraid,  can  help  her  much  in 
such  suffering  as  hers." 

Regina  put  out  her  left  hand  and  smiled,  letting 


298       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

her  eyes  wander  over  the  wonderfully  heautiful  lines 
of  the  face  above  her  which  she  had  rescued  from 
destruction. 

"  Good-bye,  Sybil ;  I  am  so  glad  to  know  you  are 
not  hurt  at  all." 

Their  hands  clasped,  but  there  was  no  warmth  in 
Sybil's  pressure.  She  knew  that  the  other,  helpless, 
perhaps  about  to  die,  had  yet  —  won;  that  she  was 
absolutely  content  and  happy,  and  that  the  one  who 
walked  out  of  the  tent  into  life  and  freedom  was 
vanquished.  She  turned  abruptly. 

"  Can  I  go  now?  "  she  said  almost  rudely  to  Ever- 
est, and  he  held  up  the  door  flap  for  her  in  silence 
and  stood  back  for  her  to  pass. 

Graham's  farewell  was  very  different  from  his 
sister's.  He  fell  on  his  knees  beside  the  low  tent  bed 
and  took  the  unwounded  hand.  His  face  was  as  white 
as  hers,  and  looked  drawn  and  livid  as  he  raised  it 
to  his  host,  who  was  standing  with  his  arms  folded  at 
Regina's  feet,  his  eyes  fixed  on  her. 

"  Everest,  give  me  leave  to  say  good-bye  to  her 
alone,"  he  entreated,  and  Everest  made  a  signal  to 
the  others  and  they  went  out,  leaving  Graham  sob- 
bing at  her  side,  his  tears  falling  on  her  hand. 

Outside  in  the  hot,  ruddy  light  that  the  west  was 
throwing  on  the  desert  before  it  donned  its  violet 
evening  robe  of  twilight  and  cool  silver  cloak,  Everest 
lifted  Sybil  on  to  her  riding  camel  for  the  last  time 
and  wondered  at  himself  for  the  sense  of  hatred  he 
felt  for  her.  Only  such  a  short  time  before  and  his 
whole  frame  had  vibrated  with  passion  and  longing 
for  her,  in  that  very  same  action,  and  now  the  sicken- 
ing sense  of  aversion  was  so  great  as  the  slight  light 


VAE  VICTIS  299 

figure  touched  his  arms  that  he  had  to  use  all  his  self- 
command  to  prevent  her  seeing  it.  She  saw  his  face 
pale  with  the  effort,  but  only  thought  he  was  shaken 
with  emotion  at  their  final  parting. 

The  camel  rose  to  its  feet  and  rocking,  swaying, 
lifted  her  into  the  air,  far  above  him,  but  she  bent 
down  and  in  the  crimson  light  her  face  hung  over 
him. 

"Everest,  good-bye;  but  it  is  not  for  long,  is  it? 
You  will  come  up  to  Scotland  soon,  won't  you  —  I 
can  never  forget." 

She  saw  a  new  expression  pass  over  his  face  which 
she  did  not  understand;  but  how  beautiful,  how  won- 
derful his  face  was,  no  matter  what  look  it  wore.  She 
gazed  upon  it  wistfully.  Oh,  to  be  in  Regina's  place, 
to  be  lying  in  that  tent,  waited  on,  tended  by,  caressed 
and  loved  by  him!  How  bitterly  she  envied  her! 

"  Good-bye,  Sybil !  Please  do  not  think  of  our 
meeting  again.  I  do  not  wish  it,  and  if  it  has  to  be 
I  shall  regret  it."  Sybil  sat  dumb,  stupefied,  feeling 
mad  with  a  useless  misery. 

"  How  can  you  be  so  unkind  just  at  the  last,"  she 
whispered. 

"  I  do  not  want  to  be  unkind,  but  I  don't  wish  you 
to  look  forward  to  impossibilities." 

Sybil  could  not  answer.  There  was  an  iron  in- 
flexibility in  his  tone  against  which  all  words  of  hers 
would  seem  to  break  in  vain.  She  sat  upright  on  the 
camel,  and  Everest  fell  back  to  speak  to  Graham, 
who  came  towards  him  from  the  tent. 

The  men  shook  hands  coldly,  without  any  demon- 
stration either  of  friendliness  or  enmity.  All  the 
events  of  tHat  wretched  camping  had  rolled  into  the 


past,  and  no  words  and  no  acts  could  alter  them 
now. 

When  Merton  had  mounted  the  whole  line  started 
and  moved  off  slowly  to  the  west,  making  for  the  next 
stopping  place,  which  they  hoped  to  reach  before 
dawn,  and  where  they  would  rest  through  the  heat  of 
the  day.  The  red  of  the  sunset  hung  in  a  fiery  glow 
before  them,  in  the  east  behind  them  was  rising  stead- 
ily the  silver  moon. 

Sybil's  brain  seemed  to  swim  in  mists  of  rage  as 
she  was  borne  forward.  From  the  very  first  she  had 
planned  and  schemed  and  worked  for  herself  with  that 
steady  singleness  of  aim  which  is  supposed  to  ensure 
success,  and  yet  she  had  failed,  failed  and  lost. 
Regina,  unselfish,  careless,  reckless,  she  had  won, 
She  had  trusted  to  Everest,  and  he  had  not  denied  her 
claims.  Then  she  had  risked  her  life,  thrown  herself 
absolutely  into  the  jaws  of  death,  and  yet  she  had 
not  been  calkd  upon  to  pay  the  full  price,  she  had 
been  allowed  to  come  out  of  it  all  alive  and  crowned 
as  a  heroine.  It  was  not  like  life,  it  was  like  a  Sun- 
day school  tale,  where  the  good  are  always  saved  and 
praised  and  the  selfish  are  always  punished.  Sybil 
ground  her  teeth  and  the  tears  brimmed  over  her 
eyes.  Why  was  she  so  favoured?  Girls  who  lived 
as  Regina  was  doing  were  abandoned  every  day,  yet 
Everest  meant  to  marry  her.  She  knew  he  would 
never  have  spoken  as  he  had  unless  he  meant  it.  Peo- 
ple who  risked  their  lives  for  others  generally  had 
to  give  them  up.  Why  should  she  be  spared  and 
come  back  smiling,  to  be  nursed  by  him  to  health 
again  ? 

As  the  camel  swung  forward,  bearing  her  away 


VAE  VICTIS  SOT" 

from  the  camp  and  that  dear  figure  standing  there, 
a  suffocating  sense  of  the  injustice  of  Fate,  an  agon- 
ised realisation  of  failure,  rode  beside  her  into  the 
dark  shades  of  the  falling  night.  The  three  men 
turned  back  into  the  camp  when  the  procession  grew 
indistinct  in  the  red  distance. 

"  It's  good  of  you  to  stay,  St  John,"  remarked 
Everest.  "  I  am  afraid  it  may  be  dull  work  for  you 
now." 

"  Not  a  bit,  not  a  bit,"  he  returned.  "  I  didn't 
like  the  idea  of  leaving  you.  I  might  come  in  useful 
with  the  nursing  and  watching,  perhaps,  as  an  extra 
hand.  And  I'll  have  a  look  in  at  those  lions  now 
we've  got  on  to  them." 

That  same  night,  when  the  ring  of  protecting  fires 
had  been  lighted  round  the  camp  and  all  the  lamps 
were  lighted,  the  native  servants  brought  round  to 
Regina's  tent  the  skin  of  the  lioness.  They  had  not 
yet  finished  the  dressing  and  preparing  of  it,  which 
would  take  fully  a  week,  but  they  thought  she  would 
like  to  see  it,  and  Everest  let  them  come  in  and  hold  it 
up  before  her  at  the  foot  of  her  bed. 

It  was  a  magnificent  skin;  the  lioness  was  a  large 
one,  and  had  been  in  splendid  condition.  A  little 
colour  came  into  Everest's  face  from  pride  at  his 
pupil  as  he  saw  it,  but  Regina's  own  eyes  filled  with 
tears.  The  skin  was  so  golden,  so  beautiful,  with  a 
sheen  like  satin  on  it,  the  breast  part  so  snowy  white 
where  the  cruel  hole  her  rifle  had  made  showed  its 
rusty  coloured  edges. 

"Oh,  Everest,  I  feel  so  sorry  for  her!  Poor 
mother,  and  what  will  the  cubs  do  now?  Will  they 
die  if  she  no  longer  is  there  to  feed  them  ?  " 


302       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

Everest  laughed  at  this  view  of  things. 

"  They  may  not  keep  so  fat  now  she  is  no  longer 
able  to  supply  them  with  human  beings  for  break- 
fast, but  they  will  probably  get  on  all  right.  They'll 
go  and  forage  for  themselves.  The  mother  goes  on 
hunting  for  them  long  after  they  can  hunt  quite  well. 
Let  them  take  away  the  skin,  dearest,  if  it  distresses 
you.  I  can't  have  you  crying  over  anything."  And 
he  told  the  men  to  take  it  away,  and  give  every  atten- 
tion to  the  curing  of  it  and  do  it  as  perfectly  as  pos 
sible.  For  it  was  her  gift  to  him  and  he  knew  she 
wanted  him  to  keep  and  value  it. 

Day  after  day  passed  slowly  by  over  the  wh:t: 
tent  in  the  desert,  where  such  terrible,  physical  suffer- 
ing struggled  hour  by  hour  to  dominate  the  spirit  ?f 
happiness  —  in  vain.  Regina  lay  in  pain  and  #as 
content,  and  Everest,  torn  with  anxiety,  harrowed 
by  the  sight  of  suffering  he  could  not  assuage,  passing 
sleepless  nights  and  long  weary  days  at  her  bedside, 
was  yet  happy  too.  So  strange  a  witch,  so  essentially 
a  coquette  is  Happiness!  Men  spread  nets  for  her 
feet  and  prepare  chains  to  bind  her  airy  wings,  and 
just  when  they  fancy  she  is  securely  bound  to  'chem 
they  look  round  and  she  is  gone!  And  those  who 
with  tear-blinded  eyes  have  thought  they  had  re- 
nounced her  for  ever,  as  they  have  said  good-bye9 
dear  Happiness,  she  has  leapt  to  their  heart  and  said 
she  would  never  leave  them.  She  will  fly  from  the 
millionaire,  suffocated  in  the  pomp  of  his  palace,  to 
nestle  so  closely  at  the  side  of  some  one  jf  Life9s 
outcasts  toiling  in  the  dust  of  the  road.  She  ?s 
bound  by  no  laws,  owes  no  allegiance,  and  those  who 
do  not  court  her  she  follows  most.  And  here  in  the 


VAE  VICTIS  803 

tent  of  fever  and  apprehension,  of  agony  and  tedium, 
she  chose  to  take  up  her  residence  with  these  two. 
To  Everest,  in  the  violent  reaction  of  mind  and  body, 
which  had  thrown  him  into  the  extreme  of  passion  for 
this  woman,  it  was  a  pleasure  to  deny  himself,  to  wait 
upon  her  and  suffer  for  her  sake.  He  watched  and 
waited  on  Regina  with  untiring  devotion.  At  first, 
while  there  was  great  danger  of  fever,  he  never  slept 
at  all  through  the  night,  sitting  by  her  wakeful  and 
intent  on  watching  the  changes  of  her  face,  snatch- 
ing for  himself  what  little  sleep  he  could  in  the  day 
while  the  doctor  took  her  in  charge;  and  through  all 
the  hot  long  noontide  hours  he  was  there  by  her,  read- 
ing to  her  when  she  could  listen,  watching  her  if  she 
slept.  And  often  the  lions  roared  about  the  camp 
and  his  whole  blood  leapt  up  in  a  call  upon  him  to 
go  out  into  the  old  danger  and  excitement  that  he 
loved,  but  he  checked  and  repressed  himself  and  let 
them  challenge  him  in  vain.  He  knew  if  he  left  her 
now  she  would  be  anxious,  nervous  about  him,  and 
those  feelings  would  bring  on  fever  and  retard  her  re- 
covery. St  John  went  out  on  several  hunts,  taking 
the  guides  and  men  with  him,  but  neither  Everest 
nor  the  doctor  moved  from  the  camp  through  all  the 
burning  weeks.  They  had  their  reward,  for  never 
did  a  patient  progress  more  smoothly  and  evenly 
towards  recovery  than  Regina,  The  iron  fortitude 
of  her  nature,  that  enabled  her  to  lie  for  hours  with- 
out moving,  resulted  in  her  arm  setting  and  joining 
perfectly.  The  absolute  and  silent  resignation  that 
she  imposed  upon  herself  kept  the  fever  at  bay. 

One  day  when  St  John  was  out  lion-hunting  — 
fired  by  his  success  of  yesterday,  when  he  had  brought 


304       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

back  in  triumph  a  young  lion  to  the  camp  —  and  the 
doctor  was  asleep  in  his  tent,  Everest  sat  by  Regina 
combing  and  brushing  into  order  the  long  strands  of 
her  hair,  that  he  had  never  once  allowed  to  grow 
tangled  or  matted  in  neglect.  In  the  dry,  sunny  air 
of  the  desert  it  had  grown  more  golden  and  more 
crisp,  and  as  he  brushed  it,  it  curled  and  sprang  round 
his  fingers  in  shining  silky  curls  and  meshes. 

Regina  looked  up  at  him  suddenly. 

"  I  am  so  sorry  you  should  have  such  a  wretched 
time.  Fancy  you,  with  all  your  life  and  energy, 
shut  up  here  day  after  day  nursing  a  sick  girl  in  a 
tent!" 

Everest  let  the  gold  strands  twine  round  his  wrist 
as  he  leant  over  her,  his  eyes  full  of  ardent  joy  and 
delight  in  her. 

"  And  yet,  do  you  know  that  this  time  of  nursing 
a  sick  girl  in  a  tent  has  been  the  happiest  in  my  life?  " 


CHAPTER  XII 

DAWN 

IN  the  silvery  light  of  a  soft  grey  dawn,  while  morn- 
ing's face  was  still  gently  veiled,  two  camels  stood 
with  heads  towards  Khartoum,  and  as  the  first  rosy 
shaft  of  light  quivered  in  the  sky  Regina  came  to  the 
door  of  her  tent  and  looked  out  with  glad  and  joyous 
eyes.  She  was  very  pale  from  her  long  seclusion, 
but  tall  and  straight  and  supple  as  always.  Un- 
injured, undisfigured,  with  the  power  restored  to  her 
right  arm,  she  stood  on  the  golden  sanded  floor,  under 
the  high  arched  roof  of  the  sky,  rejoicing  in  the  life 
given  back  to  her. 

That  day  they  would  commence  the  return  journey 
by  very  easy  stages,  only  travelling  a  little  in  the 
cool  of  the  evening  and  the  dawn  so  as  not  to  fatigue 
her,  and  she  looked  out  on  the  great  sandy  space  over 
which  they  had  to  travel  fearlessly,  eager  to  brave 
its  dangers  and  pierce  its  mysteries,  and  even  as  the 
desert  stretched  before  her  uncertain,  unknown,  full 
of  radiant  mist,  so  lay  her  future  uncertain,  unknown, 
but  gleaming  brightly,  calling  her  to  it.  Her  mar- 
riage at  Khartoum,  and  then  maternity,  with  all  its 
complex  pains  and  cares,  but  she  dreaded  nothing. 
She  was  ready  always  to  meet  life  and  wrestle  with  it, 
and  she  would  always  conquer,  for  of  such  stuff  are 
life's  conquerors  made.  Overhead  the  sky  gleamed 

Mi 


306       THE  NIGHT  OF  TEMPTATION 

like  the  inner  shell  of  an  oyster,  in  marvellous  tones 
of  palest  green  and  rose,  iridescent  like  mother  of 
pearl,  and  in  slow  magnificence,  in  dazzling  gold,  the 
sun  appeared  over  the  rim  of  the  earth. 

Just  at  that  moment  Everest  came  to  the  tent  door 
and  stood  by  her,  and  the  east  flung  its  glory  over 
them  both,  irradiating  their  faces  in  glowing  light. 

"  It  is  the  springtime  now,"  murmured  Regina 
softly.  "  I  wish  we  could  be  in  the  enchanted  garden 
again  together  in  a  dawn  like  this." 

"  I  do  not  mind  where  I  am  as  long  as  you  are  with 
me,"  he  answered,  drawing  her  close  to  him.  "  Love 
like  yours  makes  of  the  whole  world  an  enchanted 
garden." 

And  as  she  heard  his  words  the  glory  of  the  dawn 
was  not  greater  than  the  glory  in  her  eyes. 


They  Were  Alone  •  •  •  . 

The  magic  of  the  desert  night  had  closed  about 
them.  Cairo,  friends, — civilization  as  she  knew 
it — were  left  far  behind.  She,  an  unbeliever, 
;was  in  the  heart  of  the  trackless  wastes  with  a 
man  whose  word  was  more  than  law. 

And  yet,  he  was  her  slave! 

"I  shall  ask  nothing  of  you  until  you  shall  love 
me,"  he  promised.  "You  shall  draw  your  cur- 
tains, and  until  you  call,  you  shall  go  undis- 
turbed." 

And  she  believed  him! 

Do  you  want  to  see  luxury  beyond  your  imag- 
ination to  conjure, — feel  the  softness  of  silks 
finer  than  the  gossamer  web  of  the  spider — hear 
the  night  voices  of  the  throbbing  desert,  or  sway 
to  the  jolting  of  the  clanking  caravan? 

Egypt,  Arabia  pass  before  your  eyes.  The 
impatient  cursing  of  the  camel  men  comes  to 
your  ears.  Your  nostrils  quiver  in  the  acrid 
smoke  of  the  little  fires  of  dung  that  flare  in  the 
darkness  when  the  caravan  halts.  The  night  has 
shut  off  prying  eyes.  Yashmaks  are  lowered. 
White  flesh  gleams  against  burnished  bands  of 
gold.  The  children  of  Allah  are  at  home. 

And  the  promise  he  had  given  her?. .  .let  Joan 
Conquest,  who  knows  and  loves  the  East,  tell 
you  in 

DESERT  LOVE 

For  tale  wherever  books  are  told,  or  from 
The  Macaulay  Company 

PUBLISHERS 
15-17  W.  38th  St.  New  York 


Another   tremendous   success   by 
the  author  of  "DESERT  LOVE" 

THE  HAWK  OF  EGYPT 

Joan  Conquest's  exotic  story  of  the  love-madness 
with  which  mysterious  Egypt  drugs  the  souls  of 
men  and  women. 

Its  realism  will 
thrill  you 

You  will  see: 

Cairo,  the  native  quarter,  the  bazaars,  the  flaming 
desert,  the  love  tryst  in  the  temple  of  Ammon, 
Zulannah,  the  dancing  girl — the  jewelled  siren  of 
the  Nile,  Damaris,  the  beautiful  English  heroine, 
Kelham,  the  lion  hunter  and  Hugh  Garden  Ali, 
«-he  man  who  sold  his  life  for 

One  Hour  of  Love 


Here  are  two  pages  selected  at  random,  from 

THE  HAWK  OF  EGYPT 
a  love  story  without  asterisks 


DAMARIS   bowed  her  head   so  that  the   curls 
danced  and  glistened  in  the  light,  as  the  tor- 
rent of  his  words,  in  the  Egyptian  tongue, 
swept  about  her  like  a  flood. 

"Hast  thou  come  to  me  in  love,  thou  dove  from  tht 
nest?  Nay,  what  knowest  thou  of  love?  I  ask  it  not 
of  thee — yet — but  the  seed  I  shall  plant  within  thee 
shall  grow  in  the  passing  of  the  days  and  the  nights  and 
the  months  and  the  years,  until  it  is  as  a  grove  of 
perfumed  flowers  which  shall  change  to  golden  fruit 
ready  to  the  plucking  of  my  hand." 

He  pressed  her  little  hands  back  against  her  breast  so 
that  the  light  fell  full  upon  her  face,  and  he  held  her 
thuswise,  watching  the  colour  rise  and  fade. 

"Allah r  he  whispered.  "Allah!  God  of  all,  what 
have  I  done  to  deserve  such  signs  of  Thy  great  good- 
ness? Wilt  thou  love  me?"  He  laughed  gently.  "Canst 
thou  look  into  mine  eyes  and  shake  thy  golden  head 
which  shall  be  pillowed  upon  my  heart — my  wife — the 
mother  of  my  children  ?  Look  at  me !  Look  at  me !  Ah ! 
thine  eyes,  which  were  as  the  pools  of  Lebanon  at  night, 
are  as  a  sun-kissed  sea  of  love.  Thou  know'st  it  not, 
but  love  is  within  thee — for  me,  thy  master." 

And  was  there  not  truth  in  what  he  said  ?  May  there 
not  have  been  love  in  the  heart  of  the  girl? 

Not,  maybe,  the  love  which  stands  sweet  and  sturdy 
like  the  stocky  hyacinth,  to  bloom  afresh,  no  matter  how 
often  the  flowers-  be  struck,  or  the  leaves  be  bruised, 


THE  HAWK  OF  EGYPT 

from  the  humdrum  bulb  deep  in  the  soil  of  quiet  con- 
tent. But  the  God-given,  iridescent  love  of  youth  for 
youth,  with  its  passion  so  swift,  so  sweet ;  a  love  like  the 
rose-bud  which  hangs  half-closed  over  the  door  in  the 
dawn;  which  is  wide-flung  to  the  sun  at  noon;  which 
scatters  its  petals  at  dusk. 

The  rose! 

She  has  filled  your  days  with  the  memory  of  her 
fragrance ;  her  leaves  still  scent  the  night  from  out  the 
sealed  crystal  vase  which  is  your  heart. 

But  an'  you  would  attain  the  priceless  boon  of  peace, 
see  to  it  that  a  humdrum  bulb  be  planted  in  the  brown 
flower-pot  which  is  your  home. 

And  because  of  this  God-given  love  of  youth  which 
was  causing  her  heart  to  thud  and  the  blood  to  race 
through  her  veins,  she  did  not  withdraw  her  hands  when 
he  held  and  kissed  them  and  pressed  his  forehead  upon 
them. 

"Lotus-flower,"  he  whispered  so  that  she  could 
scarcely  hear.  "Bud  of  innocence!  ivory  tower  of 
womanhood !  temple  of  love !  Beloved,  beloved,  I  am  at 
thy  feet."  And  he  knelt  and  kissed  the  little  feet  in  the 
heelless  little  slippers ;  then,  rising,  took  both  her  hands 
and  led  her  to  the  door ;  and  his  eyes  were  filled  with  * 
great  sadness,  in  spite  of  the  joy  which  sang  in  his 
heart  as  he  took  her  into  the  shelter  of  his  arms. 

"I  love  thee  too  well,"  he  said,  as  he  bent  and  kissed 
the  riotous  curls  so  near  his  mouth.  "Yes,  I  love  thee 
too  well  to  snatch  thee  even  as  a  hungry  dog  snatches 
his  food,  though,  verily,  I  be  more  near  to  starving  than 
any  hungry  dog.  What  dost  thou  know  of  love,  of  life, 
in  the  strange  countries  ->f  the  East?  For  thy  life  will 


/  have  owned  a  hundred  women!  " 

he  answered  defiantly. 

The  girl  recoiled  as  from  a  blow.  Was  this  man 
who  paraded  his  conquests  before  her  the  same  one 
who  had  feasted  so  freely  on  her  lips  that  moonlit 
night  in  Grand  Canary? 

She  was  his  prisoner  now.  He  had  stolen  her  and 
brought  her  to  his  stronghold  in  the  desert.  Her 
father  was  also  a  captive.  Pansy  Langham's  life  had 
crashed  in  ruins  about  her.  What  good  were  her  mil- 
lions now?  The  mask  had  been  removed.  Raoul  Le- 
Breton  was  the  Sultan  Casim  El  Ammeh! — a  Moham- 
medan! 

And  yet  she  wanted  no  man's  kisses  but  his.  Love 
for  him  consumed  her,  but  race  and  religion  stood 
between  them. 

Little  did  she  guess  that  the  Arab  had  foreseen 
this  minute,  that  he  had  trailed  her  father,  Sir  George 
for  fifteen  years.  The  Englishman,  a  captain  at  the 
time,  had  killed  his  father.  Casim  El  Ammeh  had  not 
forgotten.  Revenge  was  his  at  last! 

He  had  intended  having  his  way  with  her  and 
then  selling  her  as  a  slave — a  fate  more  cruel  than  a 
white  man  could  conceive.  But  love — an  emotion  an 
Arab  scoffs  at — had  come  to  thwart  him.  Was  he  to 
forego  his  oath  of  an  eye  for  an  eye,  or  open  the  doors 
of  his  harem  and  seek  f orgetf ulness  ? 

Read 

A  Son  of  the  Sahara 

By  Louise  Gerard 

Who  gives  you  the  real  thrill  of  the 

Great  Desert 

For  Sale  wherever  books  are  sold  or  from 
THE   MACAULAY   COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 

15-17  W.  38th  Street  New  York 


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